Reuse potential of the Van Brienenoord arch bridge

Abstract

The building and construction industry is one of the main polluting sectors contributing to climate change, and is responsible for around 37% of global CO2 emissions. A circular approach is needed to address the global demand for construction materials and resources in a sustainable way. Steel is a commonly used material in construction and fully recyclable. Recycled steel has to be melted in a furnace, which is a polluting process. For reuse of steel only disassembly and transport is necessary. The general shift from recycling to reusing steel can offer environmental benefits.
A number of steel bridges in the Netherlands are being renovated or replaced by Rijkswaterstaat in the coming years. Rijkswaterstaat has been investigating the reuse of its bridges on object level, i.e. reusing the complete structure. This has proven to be difficult. Disassembling the bridge and reusing the structure on an element-level has not been thoroughly investigated. As reuse of construction elements in general is relatively novel practice, not much is known about how to determine the reuse potential of structural bridge elements. This thesis aim to identify current knowledge gaps and provide research results that encourages future reuse of steel bridges. As a case study the eastern Van Brienenoord bride is investigated. This bridge is scheduled to be replaced in 2026-2028 and there currently are no plans for reuse.
The goal of this thesis is to examine the reuse potential of steel bridges on element-level, focusing on two critical factors: fatigue and corrosion. Fatigue and corrosion are two of the most deteriorating processes for steel bridges. The reuse potential can be evaluated using the remaining service life of the elements. The remaining service life based on both fatigue and corrosion can be determined by implementing the corrosion assessment in the fatigue calculation. Fatigue assessments are based on stress ranges in structural members. Corrosion leads to a reduction in the cross sectional area, increasing the stress and thus stress ranges occurring in the critical structural details.
The design, decomposition, loading history and technical condition of the eastern Van Brienenoord are analysed. After critical review of the Van Brienenoord the structural elements of the bridge deck are selected to investigate further. Inspection reports by Rijkswaterstaat and Nebest are used to locate corrosion damage on the Van Brienenoord. The corrosion damage is determined using functions for uniform surface corrosion for steel. The critical structural details of the selected elements in the bridge deck are identified. Using the fatigue assessment procedure described in the Eurocode in combination with the reduced cross section the remaining service life of the structural elements is determined.
According to the results of the proposed assessment method in this research, all structural elements of the eastern Van Brienenoord bridge deck have significant service life left and are therefore suitable for reuse after disassembly. However, certain specific details that have a higher calculated fatigue damage may need to be repaired or removed.