SGER: Reconnaissance of Collapsed MacArthur Maze Elevated Freeway and Collection of Perishable Data

这项探索性研究小额赠款（SGER）将立即对倒塌的高速公路进行勘察，并记录损坏和倒塌的结构部件和连接，以及收集任何其他易腐烂的数据，包括火灾损坏的钢材和混凝土，螺栓和其他连接器，原始结构图纸和20世纪90年代完成的抗震改造，材料测试结果，重建计划，视频，其他人收集的火灾和破坏的照片和其他证据，以及对火灾和倒塌目击者的采访。 2007年4月29日（星期日）凌晨3点42分，一辆油罐车在高架高速公路连接器上翻车并引发火灾，导致配电结构（也称为Mac亚瑟迷宫）的两个跨度倒塌，20分钟后凌晨4点02分。 对高架高速公路火灾反应的认识非常有限。麦克亚瑟迷宫连接器的倒塌为研究界提供了一个独特的机会，在拆除和更换受损结构之前，尽可能多地从这次倒塌中学习，以开发建筑技术和设计概念，帮助州和联邦运输机构设计和建造能够在火灾中幸存的钢天桥。正如这一事件的后果所表明的那样，这种看似较小的跨度，只有84英尺的跨度，导致主要运输速度减慢，数十万通勤者感到不适和损失时间。该项目中产生的用于保护钢高架高速公路防火的信息可以更广泛地应用于基础设施的其他要素，如港口，由于卡车引起的火灾可能导致所有50个州的钢桥倒塌，另一个更广泛的影响是，从这次意外火灾中可以学到什么，可以用来保护我们基础设施中的钢桥，使其免受犯罪分子故意纵火的伤害，以伤害平民和经济以及交通基础设施。

This Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER) is to conduct an immediate reconnaissance of the collapsed freeway and to document damaged and collapsed structural components and connections as well as to collect any other perishable data which can include fire-damaged steel and concrete, bolts and other connectors, drawings of original structure and seismic retrofit done in 1990s, material test results, reconstruction plans, videos, photos and other evidence of fire and damage collected by others as well as interviews with eyewitnesses to the fire and the collapse. At 3:42 am on the morning of Sunday, April 29, 2007, a tanker truck overturned on the elevated freeway connectors and started a fire that resulted in the collapse of two spans of the Distribution Structure, also known as the Mac Arthur Maze, twenty minutes later at 4:02 am. The understanding of response of elevated freeways to fire is very limited. The collapse of Mac Arthur Maze connectors provides the research community with a unique opportunity to learn from this collapse as much as possible, before the damaged structure is removed and replaced, in order to develop construction technologies and design concepts that can help transportation agencies, both state and federal, in designing and constructing steel overpasses that can survive such fire. As the aftermath of this event indicated, the collapse of such seemingly minor spans, with only 84 feet span, resulted in major transportation slow down and much discomfort and lost time for hundreds of thousands of commuters.The information generated in this project for protection of steel elevated freeways against fire, can have broader applications to other elements of infrastructure such as ports, parking structures and major steel bridges throughout the country since fire caused by the trucks can result in collapse of steel bridges in all 50 states. Another broader implication is what can be learned from this accidental fire , can be useful in protecting the steel bridges in our infra-structure against intentional fires set by criminals to harm civilians and the economic as well as transportation infra-structure.