Fatigue in Steel Highway Bridges under Random Loading
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 2
Abstract
Fatigue damage accumulation in steel highway bridges under random loading is studied. The fatigue life of welded joints has been determined both experimentally and from a fracture mechanics analysis. In the experimental part of the investigation, fatigue test series on welded plate test specimens have been carried through. The materials that have been used are either conventional structural steel with a yield stress of fy ∼ 400–410 MPa or high-strength steel with a yield stress of fy ∼ 810–840 MPa. The fatigue tests have been carried out using load histories, which correspond to one week's traffic loading, determined by means of strain gauge measurements on the orthotropic steel deck structure of the Farø Bridges in Denmark. The test series carried through show a significant difference between constant amplitude and variable amplitude fatigue test results. Both the fracture mechanics analysis and the fatigue test results indicate that Miner's rule, which is normally used in the design against fatigue in steel bridges, may give results that are unconservative. The validity of the results obtained from Miner's rule will depend on the distribution of the load history in tension and compression.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Agerskov, H., and Ibsø, J. B. ( 1993). “Fatigue life of plate elements with welded transverse attachments subjected to stochastic loading.” Proc., Nordic Conf. on Fatigue, A. F. Blom, ed., EMAS Publishers, West Midlands, England.
2.
Agerskov, H., and Pedersen, N. T. (1992). “Fatigue life of offshore steel structures under stochastic loading.”J. Struct. Engrg., ASCE 118(8), 2101–2117.
3.
Albrecht, P., and Yamada, K. (1977). “Rapid calculation of stress intensity factors.”J. Struct. Div., ASCE, 103(2), 377–389.
4.
Blom, A. F. ( 1987). “Influence of residual stress fields on fatigue crack propagation.” Rep. No. FFA TN 1987-10, Aeronautical Research Institute of Sweden, Bromma, Sweden.
5.
Dijkstra, O. D., and van Straalen, I. J. J. ( 1997). “Fracture mechanics and fatigue of welded structures.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Perf. of Dynamically Loaded Welded Struct., S. J. Maddox and M. Prager, eds., Welding Research Council, New York, 225–239.
6.
Engesvik, K. M., and Moan, T. ( 1983). “Probabilistic analysis of the uncertainty in the fatigue capacity of welded joints.” Engrg. Fracture Mech., 18(4), 743–762.
7.
Fatigue handbook—Offshore steel structures. (1985). A. Almar-Næss, ed., Tapir Publishers, Trondheim, Norway.
8.
Håakansson, S., and Hansen, P. S. ( 1995). “Spændingsbestemmelse og udmattelse i ståalbrodæk (Stress analysis and fatigue in steel bridge decks),” MS thesis, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark (in Danish).
9.
Ibsø, J. B. ( 1995). “Fatigue life prediction of welded joints based on fracture mechanics and crack closure,” PhD thesis, Rep. No. R 322, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
10.
Ibsø, J. B., and Agerskov, H. ( 1992). “Fatigue life of offshore steel structures under stochastic loading.” Rep. No. R 299, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
11.
Ibsø, J. B., and Agerskov, H. ( 1996). “An analytical model for fatigue life prediction based on fracture mechanics and crack closure.” J. Constr. Steel Res., 37(3), 229–261.
12.
Nielsen, J. A., Agerskov, H., and Vejrum, T. ( 1997). “Fatigue in steel highway bridges under random loading.” Rep. No. R 15, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
13.
Pedersen, N. T., and Agerskov, H. ( 1991). “Fatigue life prediction of offshore steel structures under stochastic loading.” Rep. No. R 274, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
14.
Petersen, R. I., Agerskov, H., Askegaard, V., and Lopez Martinez, L. ( 1993). “Fatigue life of high-strength steel plate elements with welded attachments.” Proc., Nordic Conf. on Fatigue, A. F. Blom, ed., EMAS Publishers, West Midlands, England.
15.
Petersen, R. I., Agerskov, H., Lopez Martinez, L., and Askegaard, V. ( 1995). “Fatigue life of high-strength steel plate elements under stochastic loading.” Rep. No. R 320, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
16.
Tada, M., Paris, P. C., and Irwin, G. R. ( 1973). The stress analysis of cracks handbook. Del Research Corporation, Hellertown, Pa.
17.
Vejrum, T., and Nielsen, J. A. ( 1993). “Udmattelse i ståalkonstruktioner udsat for stokastisk last. Brolast (Fatigue in steel structures subjected to stochastic loading. Bridge loading),” MS thesis, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark (in Danish).
18.
Yamada, K., and Agerskov, H. ( 1990a). “Fatigue analysis of plate elements with groove welded attachments using fracture mechanics.” IIW Document XIII-1365-90, Ann. Assembly, International Institute of Welding, Paris.
19.
Yamada, K., and Agerskov, H. ( 1990b). “Fatigue life prediction of welded joints using fracture mechanics.” Rep. No. R 255, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
20.
Yamada, K., and Nagatsu, S. ( 1989). “Evaluation of scatter in fatigue life of welded details using fracture mechanics.” Struct. Engrg./Earthquake Engrg., 6(1), 13–21.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 2 • February 1999
Pages: 152 - 162
History
Received: Sep 12, 1996
Published online: Feb 1, 1999
Published in print: Feb 1999
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.