Abstract
The fatigue performance of an orthotropic steel bridge deck is significantly influenced by the type of the rib-to-deck connection considering the crossbeam. Fatigue fracture of the weld seam at the rib-to-deck connection has been a serious problem in such decks. In this paper, numerical models are developed for the orthotropic steel bridge decks and are analyzed for the fatigue behavior. The traction structural stress method is proven to be more accurate and effective in predicting the fatigue life. Fatigue behavior of three typical rib-to-deck connections are obtained by using traction structural stress method and by considering the effect of crossbeams. Compared to the bridge deck with weld seam of a large root, the fatigue performance of the deck with single-sided weld seam is much better with lower equivalent structural stress. The results indicate that the weld seam size should be strictly controlled for better fatigue resistance. The fatigue performance of the bridge deck with double-sided seam is significantly better than that of the bridge deck with single-sided weld seam. An increase in the thickness of the inner weld seam in the rib-to-deck connection optimizes the distribution of the equivalent structural stress and shifts the fatigue failure location from the weld root of the outer weld seam to the weld toe of the inner weld seam thus demonstrating the effect of the crossbeam. The trends of equivalent structural stress with geometric parameters of the weld seam in the rib-to-deck connection are obtained in this study. The fatigue behavior of the components and the equivalent structural stress are significantly influenced by the bridge deck thickness.
Highlights
The orthotropic steel bridge deck (OSBD) consists of a bridge deck, longitudinal ribs, and transverse crossbeams connected with groove weld seams and has been widely applied globally in long-span steel bridges owing to its advantages of light weight and large bearing capacity [1,2,3].fatigue cracks are observed at the connection of the rib-to-deck and rib-to-crossbeam of the OSBD in service under vehicle-induced fatigue loading [4,5]
This study investigates the fatigue performance of various types of rib-to-deck connections considering the effect of the crossbeams using traction structural stress method [15,16,17,18,19]
The traction structural stress method has been applied for the fatigue life evaluation of coastal pipes, pressure and thewelded weldedconnections componentsinoforthotropic the orthotropic steel bridges
Summary
The orthotropic steel bridge deck (OSBD) consists of a bridge deck, longitudinal ribs, and transverse crossbeams connected with groove weld seams and has been widely applied globally in long-span steel bridges owing to its advantages of light weight and large bearing capacity [1,2,3]. Single-sided weld seam based on Eurocde are the main types of connection of the rib-to-deck in the OSBD [7]. The new type of double-sided weld seam has been applied in the newly constructed long-span bridge in China with advanced weld technology [14]. The fatigue performance of the connection of the OSBD is not presented clearly, considering the parameters including the groove angle, radius, bridge deck thickness and U-rib thickness. This study investigates the fatigue performance of various types of rib-to-deck connections considering the effect of the crossbeams using traction structural stress method [15,16,17,18,19]. This study identifies design parameters that shall be considered to estimate the fatigue behavior and equivalent structural stress of the bridge decks in the OSBD.
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