Flaw Detection Practices for Steel Hydraulic Structures.
Abstract
A rational approach to maintaining an acceptable level of reliability over the service life of a structural system typically requires a program of periodic inspection, maintenance, and repair. This is especially true for civil works structures where inspection, maintenance, and repair operations are not precluded by the operating environment or structural configuration or by economic considerations. The reliability of a structure is related to one of a number of possible modes of unsatisfactory performance. Failure modes usually considered include general yielding, buckling or instability, serviceability criteria, corrosion and wear, subcritical crack growth (fatigue), and unstable crack growth (fracture) usually resulting in partial or complete failure of a member. In recent years, it has become apparent that fatigue and fracture represent real and significant modes of unsatisfactory performance for steel structures. Fatigue or fracture of a structural member will, in most cases, be directly attributable to the presence of a discontinuity or other type of imperfection. Detection of these imperfections is critical in evaluating the reliability and remaining service life of steel structures and is the primary focus of this report.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA322425
Entities
People
- Joseph A. Padula