FHWA Bridge Inspector's Manual Sections 8.6—Steel Superstructures

Mark P. Rossow, PhD, PE Retired

Course Outline

This three-hour online course discusses design characteristics, common defects, inspection procedures and locations, and evaluation of steel truss bridges.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will

• Be familiar with design characteristics of steel trusses;
• Know definitions of through, pony, and deck trusses; chord, web, diagonal, and vertical members; and panels and panel points;
• Be acquainted with the function and location of bracing;
• Recognize the principles of floor system arrangements;
• Be able to identify primary and secondary members;
• Know inspection procedures;
• Be cognizant of inspection locations for bearing areas, shear zones, tension members, and compression members;
• Be familiar with common defects;
• Know fatigue-prone details; and
• Be cognizant of condition-state element assessment.

Intended Audience

This course is intended primarily for civil, construction, and structural engineers, and would be of particular interest to consulting engineers or to engineers serving in government organizations concerned with the safety of bridges.

Benefit to Attendees

An attendee of this course will be familiar with the characteristics of steel trusses and will be able to apply this knowledge in bridge inspections.

Course Introduction

Metal truss bridges have been built since the early 1800’s. They can be thought of as a deep girder with the web cut out. They are also the only bridge structure made up of triangles. The original metal trusses were made of wrought iron, then cast iron, then steel. When trusses were first being built of metal, material costs were very high and labor costs were low. Because trusses were made up of many short pieces, it was cost effective to build the members in the shop and assemble them at the site. Today the higher costs of labor and the lower costs of material have limited the use of trusses to major river crossings.

Course Content

This course is based on BIRM’s Section 8.6 (Common Steel Superstructures) of the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, Publication No. FHWA NHI 03-001, October, 2002, Revised December, 2006.

FHWA Bridge Inspector's Manual Sections 8.6—Steel Superstructures

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Course Summary

The characteristics of steel truss bridges are described in a manner useful for conducting inspection of bridges.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/bripro.htm

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

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DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

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