Jacques Cartier Bridge Forged Pin Testing and Analysis

Fatigue damage and corrosion are of significant concern in bridge structures and can have grave consequences on public safety. In addition, bridge structures, such as the Jacques Cartier Bridge, that were built in the early 20th century can be more susceptible to damage as the bridge structures were not designed for current traffic load and fatigue considerations. The Jacques Cartier Bridge is a transportations infrastructure of Canada with more than 90 years of age and is exposed to deicing salt, moisture, and extremely cold weather. For these reasons, a comprehensive inspection and maintenance program is of great benefit to ensure the safety of the JC Bridge and Canadians. In this regard, the present study aims to improve the safety of the bridge by estimating the risk of failure by brittle fracture or significant fatigue crack growth and determining the critical defect (i.e., crack) size to be used in suitable non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. This project contains detailed metallurgical analysis, materials, and fatigue tests combined with finite element (FE) analysis and advanced fracture mechanics methods to ease and improve the existing inspection methods of the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

Faculty Supervisor:

Scott Walbridge

Student:

Partner:

JCCBI

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Construction and infrastructure

University:

University of Waterloo

Program: