There is pressing demand for improved infrastructure in both developed and developing economies, for example on average vehicles cross structurally deficient bridges more than 188 Million times a day in the US.
Bridge owners and designers in Europe, US and India are becoming increasingly interested in the use of duplex stainless steel for the replacement, strengthening or renovation of bridge structures. SCI is at the heart of developing design rules for stainless steel bridges.
With support from stainless steel producers and manufacturers, Nancy Baddoo chairs the Working Group responsible for the stainless steel Eurocode, EN 1993-1-4. Work is currently underway revising and extending the stainless steel design rules as part of the preparation of the Second Generation Eurocodes, with many improvements which will be relevant to the design of bridge structures.
October saw the opening of the duplex stainless steel two-bridge Garrison Crossing in Toronto – designed using a combination of rules from the Eurocode and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Design Guide on structural stainless steel, written by SCI.
Francisco Meza and Nancy Baddoo have also been busy drafting the first AISC design specification for stainless steel structures. The rules will be aligned as far as possible with the AISC design rules for carbon steel, modified to suit the distinctive characteristics of stainless steel such as non-linear stress strain characteristics.
Closer to home, the new vehicle crossing at Pooley Bridge in Cumbria will be a stainless steel composite structure spanning 40 m and is due to open next year.
