Abstract
During the Kobe earthquake, unexpected brittle fracture occurred in a corner of steel bridge bent. This study focuses on the local temperature rise which is caused by cyclic plastic deformations and influences the brittle fracture initiation. The temperature rise during an earthquake is accessed by the elastic-plastic finite element analysis coupling heat transfer calculation. The temperature rise at a normal steel bridge bent corner and its effect on the fracture toughness are evaluated. The analytical results indicate that, in some cases, the increase of temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius. It is estimated that the dynamic effect on the fracture is quite sensitive to the temperature rise; the dynamic effect change from the accelerator to inhibition factor of fracture during the temperature rise.
