Fatigue of Corrugated-Web Plate Girders: Experimental Study
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132, Issue 9
Abstract
As a result of stress concentration, welding transverse stiffeners in flat-web plate girders reduces their fatigue life. The focus of this study is to investigate the behavior of trapezoidally corrugated-web plate girders (CWPG) under fatigue loading by means of evaluating their fatigue life under different stress ranges. The test girders failed by fatigue cracks, which started at the weld between the web and the tension flange near the web fold line. A relationship between the stress range “ ” and the number of cycles to failure “ ” was developed for CWPG. Fatigue lives of the tested CWPG were compared to other girder types and the test results were related to the current AASHTO specifications.
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Acknowledgments
The experimental work in this study was supported by a research grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Grant No. NSFCMS-9634570, and the test specimens were manufactured by High Steel Structures, Inc., Lancaster, Pa. The analytical work in the study forms a part of an ongoing research in McMaster University Centre for Effective Design of Structures (CEDS) funded through the Ontario Research and Development Challenge (ORDC) Fund. The financial support of the Centre is greatly appreciated.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 132 • Issue 9 • September 2006
Pages: 1371 - 1380
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Jan 21, 2005
Accepted: Nov 17, 2005
Published online: Sep 1, 2006
Published in print: Sep 2006
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Brian Uy
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