Question 16

Posted in: Assessment

This week its something  a bit different! Understanding the causes of deterioration is just  as  important as  resolving  vectors.

The rail bridge over Westmoreland Road, (on the route of the U18 bus leaving  Oldfield Park  on the way to uni) Bath, England, is  showing  some signs of  distress. Ignoring the small  amount of vehicle damage to the beams there are 2 separate worrying  signs of  deterioration.

As knowledgeable  engineers you  should be able to identify both signs of  deterioration (in the beams only) and suggest  what  may have caused these. You can just about make out both from Google street view but its much  easier to spot if you actually see the bridge.

bridge-westmoreland road

The signs of deterioration could be: shear cracks, flexural cracks, longitudinal cracks, spalling or random surface cracking.

The causes maybe anything from blocked expansion joints, to overloading, Alkali-silica reaction, carbonation, or poor concrete cover.

Posted in: Assessment

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