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

探索性研究小额赠款（SGER）用于对倒塌的高速公路进行即时侦察，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1990年代完成的抗震改造、材料测试结果、重建计划、视频、其他人收集的照片和其他火灾和破坏的证据，以及对火灾和倒塌的目击者的采访。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处翻倒，引发火灾，20分钟后，也就是凌晨4点02分，导致配送结构（也被称为Mac Arthur Maze）的两个跨度倒塌。对高架公路火灾响应的认识非常有限。Mac Arthur Maze连接器的倒塌为研究界提供了一个独特的机会，在损坏的结构被拆除和替换之前，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，帮助州和联邦的运输机构设计和建造可以在火灾中幸存的钢立交桥。正如这次事件的后果所表明的那样，这些看似只有84英尺跨度的小跨度的倒塌，导致了主要交通减速，给成千上万的通勤者带来了很多不适和时间损失。在这个项目中产生的信息用于保护钢高架高速公路免受火灾的影响，可以更广泛地应用于其他基础设施，如港口、停车场和全国各地的主要钢桥，因为卡车引起的火灾可能导致所有50个州的钢桥倒塌。另一个更广泛的含义是从这次意外火灾中可以学到的东西，可以用来保护我们基础设施中的钢桥，防止犯罪分子故意纵火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.