Inspection Program for a Light Rail Bridge - A short fabrication time and complex T-Y-K joints presented challenges during construction and inspection of a steel tubular bridge

摘要

Arecent challenge for Stinger Welding, Coolidge, Ariz., was fabrication of a steel tube-structure bridge to link the Phoenix, Ariz., light rail network with the east-valley communities across Tempe Town Lake (a section of the normally dry Salt River contained by upstream and downstream inflatable dams) - Fig. 1. The cyclically loaded truss bridge has two parallel spans between the north and south abutments (to bear both north-and southbound tracks), and is supported in midspan by nine Y-shaped concrete piers. Tubular cross-diaphragms, located at both abutments and at the nine piers, interconnect the parallel trusses - Fig. 2. Disc bearings, two on each abutment and two atop each pier, control bridge movement. A concrete deck will be poured on stay-in-place decking. Details of the project are outlined in Table 1.