Lessons from Weld Cracks in Orthotropic Decks on Three European Bridges
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 116, Issue 1
Abstract
Weld cracks in orthotropic decks with closed ribs on the Haseltal and Sinntal bridges in West Germany and on the Severn Crossing in the United Kingdom occurred at the intersections of the discontinuous ribs with the floor beams and at the rib‐to‐deck welds, and were caused by inappropriate details and welds not suitable for transmitting stresses between the deck components at these junctions. Good practice requires continuity of the ribs through the floor beams, the use of welds with good penetration into the rib webs at their junction with the deck plate, and avoidance of welded attachments to the ribs or to the deck plate. No weld failures or cracks are known in orthotropic bridge decks with correct details and general performance record of such decks is satisfactory. Careful design, detailing and fabrication of orthotropic decks is essential, especially in cases with long rib spans. Insufficient attention to details can result in costly failures; there is no reason, however, to question the reliability of orthotropic decks where the rules of good design and fabrication practice have been observed.
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References
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Cunninghame, J. R. (1987). “Strengthening fatigue prone details in a steel bridge deck.” Proc. British Welding Soc. Conf., British Welding Society, Brighton, U.K.
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Design manual for orthotropic steel plate deck bridges. (1963). Am. Inst. of Steel Constr., Chicago, Ill.
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DIN 18 809 steel highway and pedestrian bridges. (1987). Deutscher Institut für Normung e.V., Berlin, West Germany, Sep. (in German).
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DIN 18 000 steel structures—fabrication, welding, part 7. (1983). May (in German).
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Gurney, T. R., and Maddox, S. J. (1987). “Fatigue tests on joints in orthotropic decks.” Proc. British Welding Soc. Conf., British Welding Society, Brighton, U.K.
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Wolchuk, R. (1989). “Steel‐plate‐deck bridges.” Structural engineering handbook, 3rd Ed., E. H. Gaylord, ed., McGraw‐Hill Book Co., New York, N.Y., 19‐1–19‐28.
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Copyright © 1990 ASCE.
History
Published online: Jan 1, 1990
Published in print: Jan 1990
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