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

该小额勘探研究补助金(SGER)旨在立即对坍塌的高速公路进行勘察，记录损坏和坍塌的结构部件和连接，并收集任何其他易腐烂的数据，其中包括被火灾损坏的钢和混凝土、螺栓和其他连接件、20世纪90年代完成的原始结构和抗震改造图纸、材料测试结果、重建计划、视频、照片和其他由他人收集的火灾和破坏证据，以及对火灾和坍塌目击者的采访。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倾覆并起火，导致配电结构的两个跨度倒塌，也被称为Mac Arthur迷宫，20分钟后的凌晨4点02分对于高架高速公路对火灾的响应，人们的认识非常有限。Mac Arthur Maze连接器的倒塌为研究界提供了一个独特的机会，在拆除和更换损坏的结构之前，尽可能多地从这次倒塌中学习，以便开发建筑技术和设计理念，帮助州和联邦交通机构设计和建造能够在火灾中幸存下来的钢质立交桥。正如这起事件的后果所示，这些看似很小的跨度，只有84英尺跨度的坍塌，导致了主要的交通速度放缓，数十万通勤人员感到不适和损失时间。这个保护钢架高架高速公路防火的项目产生的信息可以更广泛地应用于全国其他基础设施元素，如港口、停车结构和主要的钢桥，因为卡车引发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，从这场意外火灾中可以学到什么，对于保护我们基础设施中的钢桥免受犯罪分子故意纵火伤害平民以及经济和交通基础设施是有用的。

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.