Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 1.8
Kinzua Viaduct 1882, Pennsylvania. (Historic American Engineering Record.)
bridges in the American railroad inventory were failing annually between 1875 and
1888. Most of these failures were related to fatigue and fracture, and the buckling
instability of compression members (notably top chords of trusses). Although most
of the failures were occurring in cast iron truss members and girders, by 1850
FIGURE 1.9
The Garabit Viaduct built in 1884 over the Tuyere River, France. (Courtesy of
GFDL J. Thurion, July 2005.)
