Dec 13, 2024
Expert opinion on the collapse of the Carola Bridge: Prof. Steffen Marx presents the results of the investigation
Prof. Steffen Marx from the Institute of Concrete Structures at TU Dresden presented his expert opinion on the causes of the collapse of the Carola Bridge to the City of Dresden's building committee on December 11, 2024. According to the report, the main cause was corrosion damage to steel elements that occurred during the bridge's construction. In conjunction with material fatigue caused by the daily traffic load over the past decades, the corrosion damage led to the sudden collapse of the bridge on September 11, 2024.
Gesamtansicht nach teilweisem Einsturz des Zuges C von der Brühlschen Terrasse aus gesehen
Hydrogen-induced stress corrosion cracking - this is how Steffen Marx describes the cause of the collapse of bridge span C of the Carola Bridge. "The main cause of the damage can now be narrowed down very clearly: The bridge collapse can be attributed with a high degree of certainty to a failure of the large cantilever above pier D," explains Marx, who was commissioned with the expert opinion by the state capital of Dresden.
"This corrosion was already initiated during construction and took place over many years inside the bridge, invisible from the outside and largely independent of superficial damage patterns," adds the expert. The only way to detect and assess damage of this kind is by measuring acoustic emissions.
Einblick in die Abbruchkante des Brückenzuges C
Steffen Marx's report also took a look at the surviving bridges A and B. Enormous corrosion damage was also visible here. Due to the collapse damage, the Carola Bridge is at the end of its load-bearing capacity and could collapse just as suddenly as bridge span C. A complete demolition is therefore unavoidable.
Steffen Marx explains the causes of the collapse of the Carola Bridge and ways to detect such damage at an early stage in the following video: https://youtube.com/shorts/kOqot6ve9Jk
Further information: Press release City of Dresden
Special meeting of the Building Committee on 11.12.2024: Livestream
Contact:
Prof. Steffen Marx
Institute of Concrete Structures at TU Dresden
Phone +49 351 463-35856
E-mail: