Abstract
The article considers the influence of the randomness of traffic load on the fatigue of elements of steel bridge structures. The phenomenon occurs specifically in the case of bridges characterized by significant width, with many traffic lanes and a high vehicle velocity, especially in the case of heavy goods vehicles. It has been shown that underestimation of operational durability, including fatigue durability, can be up to 23%. Operational loads increase due to the overlapping of traffic loads, which leads to the increased fatigue of elements of steel bridge structures. In an effort to assess this influence and its value, elements of the problem of the randomness of road traffic loads were compiled and described, and a simulative analysis of the operational strength of various lengths (spans) of the main girders of bridges was carried out. The analyses showed that for the structures with spans length of up to 10.0 m, the influence of passing vehicles could be skipped in calculations, especially in the case of weak traffic.
Highlights
The influence of operational loads from heavy goods vehicles on the bearing capacity and fatigue capacity of steel bridge structures is relatively well understood regarding the impact of cyclically variable loads, it has been described in many publications, e.g. (Guo, Frangopol, & Chen, 2012; Kwon, & Frangopol, 2010; Wysokowski, 2001, 2018; Zhang, Wu, & Zhu, 2017)
In the assessment of the operational durability of road bridges, the problem of the high randomness of loads from road traffic appears, which has not been completely recognized in practice
Assuming vehicle traffic on the bridge as a deterministic model may lead to certain errors when assessing the operational strength of elements of steel bridge structures
Summary
The influence of operational loads from heavy goods vehicles on the bearing capacity and fatigue capacity of steel bridge structures is relatively well understood regarding the impact of cyclically variable loads, it has been described in many publications, e.g. (Guo, Frangopol, & Chen, 2012; Kwon, & Frangopol, 2010; Wysokowski, 2001, 2018; Zhang, Wu, & Zhu, 2017). In the assessment of the operational durability of road bridges, the problem of the high randomness of loads from road traffic appears, which has not been completely recognized in practice. It is especially important when analysing road bridges with relatively high traffic densities or of large width, comprising many traffic lanes. Assuming vehicle traffic on the bridge as a deterministic model may lead to certain errors when assessing the operational strength of elements of steel bridge structures. The study presents the results of original long-term research on steel bridge fatigue durability and the influence of the value of traffic loads on the operational strength of a bridge structure
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