Service Performance of Steel Bridges Compared to Fatigue‐Life Predictions
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 119, Issue 10
Abstract
Ten continuous, rolled‐steel‐beam Interstate Highway bridges containing welded cover plates and welded splices were analyzed for fatigue life according to guidelines issued by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in 1990. The bridges were entirely field welded and constructed before 1970, when the extreme fatigue sensitivity of cover‐plate terminations was unknown to design engineers. Each bridge is subjected to high volumes of truck traffic and contains AASHTO Category E′ cover plates at every pier. The fatigue‐life calculations incorporated site‐specific truck‐traffic data and lateral distribution factors smaller than typical design values. Although the results indicated the calculated mean fatigue life has already been exceeded at a minimum of one cover‐plate termination in eight of the 10 bridges, nondestructive inspection revealed that cracking had not occurred. Even though it is very encouraging that the actual service performance of these bridges is superior to analytical predictions, bridge engineers would appreciate guidance on how to make the best use of fatigue‐life predictions. Since funds for bridge repair are difficult to obtain, it would be imprudent to initiate bridge rehabilitation projects based solely on the results of fatigue‐life calculations. The best analytical results will be obtained when site‐specific data are available, and tests conducted on segments salvaged from similar bridges can be justified in certain instances.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 119 • Issue 10 • October 1993
Pages: 3056 - 3068
Copyright
Copyright © 1993 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 26, 1992
Published online: Oct 1, 1993
Published in print: Oct 1993
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