Author(s): Thomas G. Brown
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: After 6 winters, much has been learnt about the interaction between ice cover and the piers of Confederation Bridge. Some of this has been surprising and some predictable, but the results, in terms of ice forces on the piers, suggest that the original modeling placed undue emphasis on the strength of first-year ridge keels, and the homogeneity of consolidated layers. In contrast, the frequency and extent of rubble pile-ups on the piers was under-predicted in the modeling. The interaction between an interacting ice sheet and the rubble pile is, however, not as obvious as was first thought, and there remain unanswered questions regarding the mechanics associated with these interactions. Nevertheless, much has been learnt, and certainly, the importance of pier shape has been borne out in the interactions that have been observed to date. The paper will describe these observations in detail, in comparing the full-scale performance with the predicted performance used in the probabilistic modeling. The paper will discuss the interactions between first-year ridges and the piers, and the role of the keel, and the pier shape, in the determinations of the total load. The paper will also discuss interactions involving sheet ice, where flexural behaviour was predicted to dominate the interaction, but where the rubble pile has become the dominant feature. To what extent this affects the original failure of the ice sheet is not known, although some clues are presented.
Year: 2004