Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-09-015
Date: July 2009

Gusset Plate Guidance for Truss Bridges Available from FHWA

A new Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) publication, Load Rating Guidance and Examples for Bolted and Riveted Gusset Plates in Truss Bridges (Pub. No. FHWA-IF-09-014), provides guidelines to State transportation departments in meeting the requirements of FHWA Technical Advisory T 5140.29, "Load-Carrying Capacity Considerations of Gusset Plates in Non-Load-Path Redundant Steel Truss Bridges." The guidance includes sections on gusset plate resistance in accordance with both the load and resistance factor rating (LRFR) method and the load factor  rating (LFR) method. Also included are gusset plate load rating examples for LRFR and LFR. The methodology of the guidance is based on existing knowledge as well as best practices and judgments. The methodology in the guide is intended to be either confirmed or updated if new information becomes available from a study being conducted by FHWA on the Load and Resistance Factor Design and Rating of Riveted, Bolted, and Welded Gusset-Plate Connections for Steel Bridges. The study is being sponsored jointly by FHWA and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials through the National Cooperative Highway Research Program.

To obtain a free copy of the publication, contact the FHWA Research, Development, and Technology Products Distribution Center at 814-239-1160 (email: Report.Center@dot.gov). For more information on the guidance, contact Firas Ibrahim at FHWA, 202-493-3053 (email: firas.ibrahim@fhwa.dot.gov). To download Technical Advisory T 5140.29, visit www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge.

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