Join us for A History of Fracture Control In Welded Structures by Dr. Karl Frank.
Food and drinks will be provided.
Meeting space is very limited. *** RSVP is strictly required for all attendees. ***
The history of the development of aspects of the facture control plan for steel bridges is presented by looking back at problems which have occurred in welded structures. Starting with the Liberty Ship failures in WWII and the collapse of the Silver Bridge through recent fractures in bridges and offshore structures; the role of design, fabrication, and inspection are presented along with the changes in specifications. Dr. Frank is a nationally-renowned expert in structural mechanics and fatigue as it relates to bridges and other transportation structures. He retired in 2017 as the Chief Engineer at Hirschfeld Industries.
Prior to joining Hirschfeld, he was a member of the structural engineering faculty at the University of Texas at Austin. His research work has included the fatigue and fracture behavior of welded and bolted connections, fatigue behavior of cable stays, strength of composite girders, and fracture behavior of twin box girder structures. Dr. Frank has won several national awards for his work in the bridge industry, including the International Bridge Conference’s “John A. Roebling” Medal, as well as ASCE’s “J. James R. Croes” Medal and Raymond C. Reese Research Prize.
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Austin Energy, Room 1125, 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723
RSVP: Email cttexas@awssections.org, by Friday, October 23rd at 5:00 PM