1of 27 GUSSET PLATE EVALUATION Tom Macioce, P.E. Chief Bridge Engineer April 2009 PennDOT Load Rating of Gusset Plates

of 272 PennDOT Load Rating of Gusset Plates Overview PennDOT Gusset Plate Evaluations PennDOT Inspection Requirements PennDOT Rating Spreadsheet Target Dates Summary

of 273 PennDOT Truss Gusset Plate Evaluation Inventory steel trusses identified (174 state-owned, 146 locally-owned) PennDOT required all deck trusses (54) be re- inspected by August 30, 2007, and all non-SD deck truss bridges by November 30, 2007 Cost - $2M for the re-inspection of deck trusses Cost - $2M for rating of gusset plates

of 274 PennDOT Truss Gusset Plate Evaluation PennDOT began development of gusset plate analysis spreadsheet in February 2008 Permit load analysis approach –Heavy hauling permits evaluated using Bar 7 –Assume reduced capacity of truss members framing into gusset plates –Reduced member capacity approach will be used until the gusset plate analysis option is incorporated into BAR7

of 275 PennDOT Truss Gusset Plate Evaluation Spreadsheet development completed in accordance with FHWA technical advisories- October 2008 Both LFD and ASD analysis methods supported BAR 7 output file load data used in spreadsheet Evaluates O.R. only 3 man-days to analyze and check a truss bridge 1.5 Hours per joint for a standard truss 2.5 hour per joint for a complex truss Additional hours required for field inspections

of 276 PennDOT Truss Gusset Plate Evaluation Administration –Strike Off Letter ( ) issued February 11, 2009 Updates to Publication 238 Chapters 3 and 6 addressing gusset plate analysis. Developed Deck Truss Geometry Field Inspection Sheet

of 277 PennDOT Inspection Requirements Revised inspection training September 2008 Issued policy February 2009 Strike-Off Letter

of 278 PennDOT Inspection Requirements Emphasis on- Distortion or bowing Corrosion documentation Tack weld documentation Slippage of connections Repairs/retrofits (condition and performance) NDE follow-up Capture necessary field data to properly load rate the gusset plate

of 279 Annotated data extraction from BAR 7 Inspection –Forms –Digital Photo Measurements PennDOT Rating Spreadsheet BAR 7 or STAAD Shop Drawings Field Data Analysis

of 2710 PennDOT Rating Spreadsheet Several months to develop Tested on 7 bridges, primarily Interstate bridges 5 engineers involved in verification

of 2711 Target Dates Important Milestones - Strike Off Letter ( ) issued March 10, 2009 –State owned bridges analyzed by December 31, 2009 –Local owned bridges analyzed by December 31, Revise BAR7 to include gusset plate analysis December 2009

of 2712 Status of Analysis Districts to provide monthly status reports for tracking progress State –Completed 54 –Under Analysis 98 –Future Work Orders 31 Local –Completed 52 –Under Analysis 11 –Future Work Orders 86

Issues Continuous chord members through gusset plate Welded connections –Plates are analyzed for shear –Weld strengths analyzed by supplemental hand calculations QA reviews of analysis is required 1 bridge has required posting due to gusset plate rating –Deck Truss –Bearing location –Section loss along top chord Leaking deck joint of 2713

of 2714 Summary Evaluation will provide additional level of bridge safety FHWA Technical Guidance is appropriate Elected to perform rating as opposed to a screening process Revise BAR7 to include gusset plate analysis December 2009

of 2715 Thank You