55 YEARS MERRISON RULES FOR THE EXPLAINING OF THE COLLAPSES OF THE STEEL BRIDGES WITH BOX SECTION

Machine and particularly car makers can run a pilot series to remedy defects before going into production, but the one-off nature and size of building structures make it impossible to test their loadbearing capacity and remove defects before construction. The aim of this paper is to help prevent the repetition of disastrous mistakes in the design and construction of load-bearing capacity of steel bridges with box sections, and contribute to engineering practice in this field. The cases describes there, show that the main causes of catastrophe are bad workmanship and a failure to recognize and think through accident scenarios. This theme put the questions whether our engineering students are getting the education they need for their future work. In the days before engineering science made it possible to predict the behaviour of load-bearing structures, failures were the main source of education and progress for builders. In the same way today, load-bearing structures must prove themselves in practice. The paper shows the significant influence of the Merrison Rules for the explanation of the collapses of the steel bridges with box section.