Toughness tests on steels from old railway bridges

摘要

The results of impact energy (Charpy) measurement on steels from five railway bridges built from 1875 to 1930 are presented. Data for the bridges, the chemical and tensile properties of their steels and the results of the impact energy tests are also given. The impact tests were conducted on Charpy-V specimens. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature was assessed. The low values of impact toughness at minus temperatures are characteristic for old riveted steel structures with a long period of service. To calculate the effect of natural ageing on the steels, tests were carried out on specimens treated by normalizing.