In the context of steel bridge members, nonredundancy or fracture criticality relates to resistance of the entire bridge superstructure to brittle fracture. The question becomes, can a flaw or crack grow in an unstable manner as a brittle fracture resulting in the loss of the member and subsequently the loss of the superstructure? The issue of redundancy affects the design, fabrication and in-service inspection of steel bridge members when they are classified as fracture-critical members. Of all bridge construction materials, only steel bridge members are considered as candidates for the fracture-critical designation. This module provided engineers with the background concerning redundancy in steel girder bridges.
Two-girder steel bridges are classified as fracture critical bridges based on the definition given in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. In...
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