Could the Francis Scott Key Bridge Have Been Saved?

Webinar details

This webinar will give an overview on design of bridges for vessel collisions. We will begin by examining progressive collapse failure that is a critical issue for steel truss bridges. We will look at the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge as a real-life example. We will also explore the Sunshine Skyway Bridge Collapse to understand historical design considerations. Next, we will discuss the design of bridge substructure for vessel collisions. This will include vessel collision risk analysis and estimation of impact loads. The webinar will conclude with a discussion on methods for protecting bride substructures from these extreme events.

• The webinar will be recorded and will be sent out to registered attendees afterwards.
• A certificate of attendance will be provided to attendees who request one near the end of the live webinar session.
• Please note: the time stated on this event is in UTC. You will need to convert this to your own time zone.

Key takeaways from this webinar

• Understanding progressive collapse is important for Bridge Design
• Vessel collision is an extreme design event and should be treated as such
• Different methods exist for protection of bridge substructures from the vessel impact

Related courses

This webinar/topic relates to our school of Civil Engineering, particularly found in the following courses:

• Undergraduate Certificate in Engineering Foundations
• Graduate Diploma of Engineering (Civil: Structural)
• Graduate Certificate in Civil Engineering: Structural
• 52873WA Advanced Diploma of Civil and Structural Engineering
• Online – Bachelor of Science (Civil & Structural Engineering)
• Online – Master of Engineering (Civil: Structural)

About the presenter

Dr. Igor Shufrin, EIT Lecturer & Course Coordinator – Civil Engineering

Dr. Shufrin began his career as a Civil Engineer in Russia’s construction industry. He earned his PhD in Structural Engineering from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in 2007. Following his PhD, he served as a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Western Australia (UWA) from 2008 to 2016. From 2016 to 2021, he held a Senior Lecturer position at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Currently, Dr. Shufrin is serving as a lecturer and a course coordinator at the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT). His research focuses on the design and analysis of hybrid materials, composite structures and computational methods in engineering.