4 ms·
Raises an interesting question: how long can modern bridges last, given they consist mostly of steel?
by aswanson 7y ago
Raises an interesting question: how long can modern bridges last, given they consist mostly of steel?
- jacobush 7y agoThe worst is when you combine materials who age differently or respond to temperature swings differently. If that steel bridge can be kept from rusting, it can keep a long time.
- petre 7y agoAlso steel has an endurance limit where material fatigue plateaus.
- sokoloff 7y agoWhat’s way stranger to me is that aluminum does not have an endurance limit (for non-Mech E’s, this is worse for aluminum even though it sounds like it might be better).
- namibj 7y agoBasically, there is no deformation so miniscule that it lasts forever. It just affects how many cycles/how long it takes. Steel however, if you deform it only very little, lasts practically forever. You just need to design it to not deform too much at normal operation. Incidentally, this fatigue vs. approaching the strength limit issue is why airplanes have limited flights. The fuselage/hull is made to last long enough, but not necessarily do well longer than that.
- aswanson 7y agoOver hundreds of years...it can't. The question remains, how long does that time span extend? 200 years? 300? A millenia? Could the Brooklyn or Ben Franklin Bridge last that long? Even the next 70 or so?
- wil421 7y agoIn my part of the country there are mostly concrete bridges. My father in law started his construction career at a bridge building company. A lot of concrete bridge spans are hollow with styrofoam inside. It would be too heavy if it was solid.