Orthotropic Deck Research Articles

Fatigue behaviour of root crack in stiffener-to-deck plate weld at crossbeam of orthotropic bridge decks

Steel Orthotropic Bridge Decks (OBDs) are widely used in long-span and movable bridges. Fatigue resistance analysis plays an important role in the design or assessment of OBDs. One possible fatigue failure is the crack initiating from the weld root of stiffener-to-deck plate connections at crossbeams. A full-scale experimental investigation in this study using a 20 mm thick deck plate with a dimension of 9.4 m × 5.1 m, including three crossbeams, represents the modern designed OBDs. The experiments show an arrest of crack propagation with a final crack depth of approximately 75% of the deck plate thickness. On the contrary, through thickness cracks develop in deck plates of 10 or 12 mm. Hot spot stress based fatigue detail categories (DC) using various failure criteria derived from the tests. Analysis with the effective notch stress shows that the DC has low sensitivity to the amount of weld penetration. The results of analyses with the eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM), employed to analyse the fatigue crack propagation path and crack arrest, are in line with the experimental study.

Influence of Deck Butt Weld Seams on Fatigue Life of Steel Bridge Decks Pavement: Parameter Optimization

Abstract The butt weld at the connection between orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSBDs) can potentially pose a hazard to the fatigue endurance of the steel bridge deck pavement. This study aims to optimize the parameters of the butt weld seam using finite element (FE) analysis. The optimized parameters will provide valuable guidance for the design of pavements with a focus on antifatigue properties. Initially, the dynamic modulus of the epoxy asphalt mixture (EAM) was determined through laboratory experimentation at various frequencies and temperatures. These material parameters were then used to compute the pavement’s fatigue life. Additionally, a well-established FE model was employed to analyze the deformation and fatigue life of the pavement structure. The validity of the model was verified by the theoretical calculation results. Various factors were considered, including vehicle velocities, pavement temperatures, and weld seam misalignments as well as weld seam dimensions such as height and width. The analysis was conducted using a three-dimensional steel bridge model. The results showed that decreasing pavement temperature, weld seam height, and misalignment led to an increase in pavement fatigue life. Conversely, reducing the weld seam width resulted in a decrease in fatigue life. Furthermore, the study investigated the coupling effect of different weld seam heights and widths on the fatigue life of the pavement. Contour figures were used to establish the parameter relationship formula for weld seam height and width. These findings are significant for pavement and deck designers because they enhance the understanding of the sensitivity of weld seams as design variables affecting the fatigue characteristics of pavement structures. Moreover, special attention should be given to the impact of welding parameters on the fatigue design of steel bridge deck pavement under high-temperature conditions of pavement structures.

Investigated on hot mix epoxy resin used in steel bridge deck pavement affected by collaborative toughen

The hot-mix epoxy resin commonly used in the market has insufficient toughness, resulting in cracking of steel bridge deck pavement. To obtain the excellent toughness of hot mix epoxy resin, the collaborative toughen is put forward to overcome the shortcoming. In order to character epoxy resins and epoxy asphalts affected by toughening agent, standard test method of tensile properties for plastics is used. The synergistic toughening mechanism and lyotropy of 1# rubber additive and 2# rubber additive are approved by analyzing scanning electron microscope. Synchronous thermal analyzer is applied to study reactivity of epoxy resin. The viscosity, reactivity and rheological performance of epoxy asphalt, which affected by toughen agent, are investigated by Brinell rotary viscometer and Dynamic shear rheometer respectively. According to the results, the excellent epoxy resin is obtained, when the dosage of toughen agent is 15 %. The activation energy of epoxy resin before and after toughen are 48.6 KJ/mol and 42.4 KJ/mol, respectively. Besides the toughen agent can reduce the viscosity of epoxy asphalt. Finally, R1 and R2 can enhance the elastic of epoxy asphalt and reduce the glass transition temperature of epoxy asphalt. In summary, with R1 and R2 added, the toughen of epoxy resin improved obviously. The application of toughened epoxy resin to the pavement of orthotropic steel bridge deck will has a very broad prospect.

Fatigue Reliability Assessment for Orthotropic Steel Decks: Considering Multicrack Coupling Effects

Multiple fatigue cracks are generally present in practical engineering due to the existence of welding; the size and number of cracks of orthotropic steel bridge decks are greatly uncertain. The component failure conditions caused by these cracks may have correlations. Currently, it is still a challenging issue to develop a physical model of multiple fatigue crack propagation in bridge decks and perform a fatigue reliability assessment, which is also the motivation that drives the innovation of this study. A fatigue reliability evaluation method is presented for orthotropic steel bridge decks, considering the coupling effect of multiple cracks and the randomness of vehicle loading. A numerical simulation method for multifatigue crack growth is developed by combining the ABAQUS and FRANC3D programs. The equivalent crack depth under different spacing and depths of collinear cracks is calculated by using numerical simulation and the multicrack equivalent characterization method. The critical damage accumulation function of multiple fatigue cracks is established using linear elastic fracture mechanics. Subsequently, the critical damage accumulation function of multiple fatigue cracks is established based on linear elastic fracture mechanics. In order to solve the time-consuming problem of traditional Monte Carlo method, the iHL-RF method and AK-MCS method are developed for fatigue reliability analysis. The results show that compared with the single-crack model, the fatigue reliability of orthotropic steel deck will be crucially reduced considering the coupling effect of double cracks. The MCS, iHL-RF and AK-MCS methods can effectively solve the fatigue reliability analysis problem. Compared with the MCS method, the reliability calculation time based on AK-MCS method is significantly reduced. The AK-MCS method-based method reduces the time for calculating the reliability of orthotropic steel decks by 50% compared with the iHL-RF method. The reliability analysis of orthotropic steel deck bridge based on AK-MCS method is proved to be efficient and accurate.

Prediction accuracy of fatigue-relevant load effects in an orthotropic deck

The accuracy of stress estimates in Orthotropic Bridge Decks (OBD) may be negatively impacted by the complex load transfer and asphalt properties. Yet, accurate stress estimates are crucial for optimal fatigue verifications. A field measurement and modelling study has been conducted to evaluate the accuracy of finite element (FE) models. The level of detail of the FE model resembled engineering practice. Measurements comprised of strains caused by normal flowing traffic and by single vehicles with known load. The study gave insight into the distribution of the transverse vehicle location, dynamic vehicle–bridge deck interaction, and the asphalt influence. Comparing with international guidelines, the prediction error of FE models of OBDs is on the edge of acceptable.

Residual Stress Reduction through Thermo-mechanical Tensioning for an Orthotropic Steel Bridge Deck

Residual Stress Reduction through Thermo-mechanical Tensioning for an Orthotropic Steel Bridge Deck

Analysis of dynamic features on local fatigue cracks in steel bridges

In steel bridges with orthotropic decks, a common and important engineering structure, fatigue cracks can appear under long-term operation. Existing artificial detection is the main approach to detecting fatigue cracks in steel bridges, in addition to some non-destructive testing or image processing methods, and unmanned aerial vehicle are applied to improve accuracy and efficiency. However, the detection of fatigue cracks in steel bridges based on the variation of dynamic responses or dynamic parameters is another attractive idea, which is still rarely mentioned and investigated in the international literature. The reason is that local cracks usually have negligible effect on the global dynamic characteristics of steel bridges, resulting in the insensitivity to dynamic indexes to fatigue cracks. On this occasion, this study numerically explores and establishes two sensitive damage features to local damage, i.e., the crack in the vertical rib, based on the fatigue cracks found on the Türr Istvan bridge over the Danube River in Hungary. The local vibrations of the bridge are excited through the local impact on the structural details, i.e., the vertical rib, and then the high-order frequencies of the entire bridge are examined. The obtained high-order frequencies are proved to be more sensitive to the fatigue cracks on vertical ribs and increased with the crack depths. On the other hand, the correlation of the stress curves on opposite sides of the crack is sensitive to the depth of the crack. If fatigue cracks are found, the development degree of the fatigue cracks can be monitored more accurately by focusing on the correlation of local stresses near the crack. These two damage features are numerically proven to have feasibility and are expected to break through the insensitivity of the existing dynamic detection methods.

Vehicle Classification using BiLSTM for Predictive Maintenance and Digital Twins

The service life of infrastructure is directly related to the traffic load. In the past, this traffic load has often been underestimated, resulting in significant damage to structures, especially steel bridges. In order to establish the paradigm of predictive maintenance in bridge engineering, prediction models for the state of damage and service life are necessary. In particular, the proportion of heavy trucks leads to a significant decrease in remaining service life. Therefore, knowledge of the composition and frequency of traffic is important. New methods from communications technology based on recurrent neural networks allow rapid identification of specific signals in monitoring data.A bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory Network is used to identify up to nine different vehicle types from the drive-by vehicle signals. The method was applied to monitoring drive-by data from a German wide span steel bridge with an orthotropic deck (Rhine bridge Duisburg-Neuenkamp). Validation was performed based on weight-in-motion data in combination with a finite element analysis. The extracted data allows a detailed analysis of the classification of vehicle types, sequence effects and clustering of vehicles. The data obtained can later be used in digital twin applications.

Bronx-Whitestone Bridge: Vertical median barrier extension enhances aerodynamics

The Bronx-Whitestone Bridge was designed during the 1930s in an era of suspension bridges with decks stiffened by shallow plate girders, many of which were subsequently found to be vulnerable to aerodynamic instabilities such as vortex shedding and flutter. Following the occurrence of mild and benign wind-induced oscillations in the first several years after opening in 1939, the bridge has undergone a series of retrofits, from structural solutions such as stay cables, stiffening trusses, and a steel orthotropic deck, to aerodynamic enhancements such as a tuned mass damper and wind fairings. Wind tunnel studies in 2015 confirmed the improved aerodynamic performance due to the recently installed wind fairing system and stiffer orthotropic deck. A subsequent rehabilitation project gave the opportunity to assess measures to further improve the aerodynamic performance of the bridge. A 3 ft (0.91 m) tall solid screen added on top of the median barrier was found to act as an above-deck vertical baffle plate, disrupting the alternating pattern of vortices, reducing the susceptibility of the bridge to instabilities. This led to the conceptual design of a Median Barrier Extension (MBE) comprised of 3 ft (0.91 m) solid transparent acrylic panels fixed to the top of the existing median barrier posts, supported by a tubular steel frame. To ensure this unique barrier modification met current industry safety standards, the MBE design was iterated through a crash analysis study using non-linear finite element models before the final design proceeded to a full-scale physical crash testing program to MASH Test Level 4. This paper presents the full timeline of this innovative retrofit project, from conception during wind tunnel testing, through to design, crashworthiness studies and final construction in 2020. This project has demonstrated that a vertical extension to a median barrier can act as a simple and cost-effective enhancement to the aerodynamic performance of existing bridges.

Experimental study on fatigue performance of double welded orthotropic steel bridge deck

Fatigue cracks which develop at multiple locations of orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSD) seriously deteriorate the safety and durability of steel bridges. U-rib fabricated using the double-sided penetration welding technique have been practically applied in bridges, but the fatigue performance of this type of U-rib has not been systematically studied. This study conducts fatigue tests on large-scale models of various fatigue details in the diaphragm area of orthotropic steel bridge decks with double-sided welds, obtaining the fatigue vulnerable locations and dominant cracking modes in the diaphragm area. The evolution law of out-of-plane deformation of diaphragm is clarified. The distribution characteristics of residual stress at the arched opening region and fatigue failure modes are acquired. Experimental results show that the interior weld toe of the U-rib-to-top-plate joint is the most fatigue-vulnerable zone, with a fatigue strength of 53.6 MPa. New fatigue cracks initiated from the weld toe of the top plate of the inner side of the U-rib or the weld toe of the U-rib perpendicularly or obliquely intersecting the longitudinal weld along 45° were found. After 10 million loading cycles, the residual stress in the arc-shaped opening area of the diaphragm reached 90–145 MPa, and the residual stress was higher where curvature of the opening was larger. The arc-shaped incision was in a circling state of tension and compression. It was also found that fatigue cracks that initiated from the weld toe of the diaphragm extended along the weld toe for some length before propagating into the diaphragm.

Proactive strengthening of U-rib butt-welded joints in steel bridge decks using adhesively bonded Fe-SMA strips

U-rib butt-welded joints are one of typical fatigue-prone details in early aging orthotropic steel bridge decks, which poses a potential threat to the structural behavior and safe operation of steel bridges. Therefore, it is of great importance to seek out an effective way for retrofitting fatigue cracks. This study proposes an efficient prestressing technique using bonded iron-based shape memory alloy (Fe-SMA) to strengthen cracked U-rib butt-welded joints proactively. A series of static and fatigue tests were conducted on the cracked specimens to investigate the feasibility and fatigue improvement of the proposed technique. Results from the experiments demonstrated that applying prestressing force by heating Fe-SMA strips is a convenient and reliable technique. Activated Fe-SMA strips could introduce significant compressive stresses and provide additional stiffness for the cracked components. This led to a reduction of the mean stress and fatigue stress ranges at the U-rib butt-welded joints under cyclic loading. All the cracked specimens strengthened with adhesively bonded Fe-SMA strips presented excellent fatigue performances, with a maximum equivalent fatigue life extension of 4.09 times compared to the specimen before cracking. Numerical simulation was also performed to better understand the test results. It was demonstrated that prestressed Fe-SMA strengthening could decrease the mode-I stress intensity factor (SIF) at the crack tip, indicating the beneficial effects of the prestressing in retarding crack and its further propagation. In conclusion, the use of adhesively bonded Fe-SMA strips for strengthening cracked butt welds is highly effective in improving the fatigue performance, even better than bonding CFRP.

Fatigue behavior of short-headed studs embedded in Ultra-high Toughness Cementitious Composites (UHTCC)

The multi-cracking and strain-hardening capacities of Ultra-high Toughness Cementitious Composites (UHTCC) make it feasible for orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSBDs) applications to control crack width. In this composite bridge deck, shear connectors play an important role in providing good shear strength and ensuring structural service performance. To evaluate the shear resistance of short-headed studs embedded in ultra-thin UHTCC layer, three series of push-out tests were conducted in this study. The test results including shear strength, fatigue strength, failure modes, dynamic slip, stiffness degradation, plastic slip and residual mechanical properties were all considered and carefully discussed. In this study, the shear force of shear connectors was calculated and compared with current codes. The stress amplitude-fatigue life (S-N) relationship of studs was fitted by different codes. Then the empirical formulation was developed to predict the load-slip behavior and stiffness degradation of studs during fatigue loading. The relationship between plastic slip and fatigue life was established and normalized. Furthermore, based on post-fatigue static test results and test results in previous research, a new machine learning model was proposed to predict the residual shear strength of studs and contrasted with previous model. Then Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with two parameters (i.e. load amplitude, maximum repeated force) was conducted and revealed that the peak load significantly impacted the residual shear strength of push-out specimens compared with load amplitude. Moreover, a parametric study was conducted to further investigate the degradation of studs under various working conditions. By experimental and theoretical analysis, UHTCC could fully develop the shear strength of studs embedded in ultra-thin cover thickness. And related models were established to predict the static and fatigue behavior of steel-UHTCC push-out specimen.

Fatigue performance of root-to-throat cracks repaired by bonding steel: experimental and numerical investigations

Root-to-throat cracks are one of typical fatigue cracking modes in rib-to-deck welded joints of orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSDs). An efficient technique of non-destructive bonding steel plates (BSP) was proposed to address the cracking issue. A series of local full-scale test specimens with and without strengthening were performed under different loading cases. Meanwhile, the typical failure modes and fatigue performance of welded joints were evaluated. Subsequently, fracture mechanical models were developed to deepen the understanding on crack propagation behavior and strengthening effectiveness. Finally, a parametric study was carried out to explore the effects of various parameters on stress intensity factors (SIFs) at the crack tips. The results showed that fatigue cracks dominated the crack propagation of the welded throats in the case of rib bending. External BSP on rib-to-deck welded joints contributed greatly to the extended in-service life of existing cracked structures. To be more specific, the fatigue stress range response at the cracked region was reduced by an average of 90.6% by means of the BSP method. By comparing SIFs, it was found that the BSP retrofit method led to a reduction of at least 78%. The predicted directions of crack propagation agreed well with the observations from fatigue tests. Moreover, the thickness of bonded plates exerted more significant effects on fatigue improvement.

Study on fatigue performance of steel bridge welded joints considering initial defects

Orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSBDs) are extensively utilized in both medium-span and long-span bridges due to their lightweight and high strength properties. The current predominant method for connecting steel bridge decks is welding. However, the discontinuous geometric shape and inevitable welding defects at the welded joints are prone to stress concentration. This leads to fatigue cracks in steel bridge decks predominantly occuring at locations where defects are present within the welded joints. This study analyzes the fatigue performance and crack propagation of the rib-to-deck connection details considering the influence of initial defects. The experimental results of the T-joint revealed that the undercuts exerted a substantial influence on the fatigue performance, whereas partial penetration had a relatively small impact. The S–N curve of the specimen with undercuts can be derived by reducing 4 standard deviations from the S–N curve without initial defect. Alternatively, the fatigue strength of the specimen without initial defects can be divided by a safety factor of 1.4. The Paris formula was employed to compute pertinent parameters for crack propagation, followed by the utilization of the finite element method to simulate the process of crack propagation within the rib-to-deck details. The feasibility of this approach was confirmed by the simulation results. Furthermore, this study discussed the impact of initial crack size parameters on crack propagation mode and fatigue performance, providing valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the fatigue crack propagation within welded joints of steel bridges.

Fatigue resistance of rib-to-bimetallic steel deck welded joints in orthotropic steel bridge decks

The stainless-cladding techniques have been applied in the top plate of the orthotropic steel decks in the high-speed railway steel bridges to improve the corrosion and wear resistance. The rib-to-deck (RD) welded joint with the stainless-clad bimetallic steel deck plate becomes a new critical fatigue detail. This study firstly examines the fatigue performance of this full-scale new RD joint through six high-cycle constant-amplitude fatigue tests and two beach-mark tests under eccentric over-rib loading. The structural hot-spot stress at the weld toe on the deck plate is obtained by strain gauges and the linear extrapolation method for each RD specimen before the cyclic loading. Experimental results indicate that five RD specimens suffer from the toe-deck failure modes, while the rests encounter root-deck cracking. The fatigue strength of these new RD joints satisfies the FAT100 hot-spot stress S-N curve based on the IIW design recommendation. Numerical simulation is further conducted to investigate the effect of different cracking modes and welding technologies on the fatigue crack propagation behavior of this new RD joint. Root-deck cracking mode shows weakly higher fatigue resistance than the toe-deck failure case. Using the double-side welds between the U-rib and deck plate, and the thickened-edge U-rib technology can slightly enhance the fatigue life in terms of toe-deck cracking mode in contrast with the traditional single-side groove welds. Experimental and numerical validation quantify the excellent fatigue performance of this new RD joint in comparison with the other types of RD welded joints.

Rewelding Residual Stress of Fatigue Crack at U-Rib-to-Deck of an Orthotropic Steel Deck

The orthotropic steel deck is a prevalent stiffening girder structure utilized in long-span cable-stayed bridges and suspension bridges. Nonetheless, the issue of fatigue cracking has persisted in in-service orthotropic steel decks, significantly impacting the longevity of bridges. This study examines the analysis of the distribution of residual stress during the rewelding process of a fatigue crack at the U-rib-to-deck-plate joint of an orthotropic steel bridge deck. Additionally, the impact of the initial welding and the stiffness of the boundary constraint on the residual stress field during rewelding is discussed. The findings indicate that the removal of the fatigue crack prior to rewelding alleviates the transverse residual stress caused by the initial welding. After undergoing the rewelding procedure, both the transverse residual stress and the longitudinal residual stress exhibited a significant stress peak. More precisely, the transverse tensile stress underwent a rise from 21 MPa to 385 MPa, while the longitudinal tensile stress experienced an increase from 345 MPa to 525 MPa. Furthermore, the range of tensile stress within the longitudinal residual distribution expanded by 88%. Moreover, the stress redistribution during the rewelding of the local fatigue crack varied depending on the constraints imposed on the steel bridge deck. Notably, the transverse residual stress increases by 40.6% when compared to the absence of constraints. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for the implementation of rewelding repair techniques on steel bridge decks, emphasizing the significance of considering the effects of residual stresses induced during the rewelding process.

Fatigue analysis of orthotropic steel-ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) composite deck considering accelerated deterioration and self-healing of fractured ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete in surface water condition

In this study, an orthotropic steel bridge deck overlaid with ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) is investigated using the finite element analysis. The composite bridge deck which is undergone moving-wheel load is examined under environmental surface water conditions. Two phases, i.e., Phases 1 and 2, are considered for the material model of the UHPFRC with stagnant water. In Phase 1, mechanical recoveries of the tensile strength and reloading stiffness are considered for the cracked UHPFRC caused by the autogenous self-healing behavior. In Phase 2, under the moving-wheel load, the crack bridging stress degradation in reinforced overlayer accelerates due to the closing–opening actions of surface cracks in water. In both phases, the deformation behaviors of the steel deck plate and UHPFRC overlayer are numerically examined. The results of the current numerical model agree with the experimental data in terms of the strain tendency, wherein the strain range of the steel deck plate and UHPFRC overlayer decreases in Phase 1 and progressively increases in Phase 2. Therefore, it can be asserted that, under the surface water condition, scenarios considering two phases of the material model of cracked UHPFRC, have governed the strain behaviors of the tested composite bridge deck.

Machine Vision Based The Spatiotemporal Information Identification of The Vehicle

Accurately identifying the vehicle load on the bridge plays a vital role in structural-stress analysis and safety evaluation. Also, extracting the spatiotemporal information of the vehicle’s is crucial for identifying the vehicle load. This study aimed to propose a vehicle spatiotemporal information-identification method based on machine-vision technology. First, digital video surveillance cameras were installed in the front and on the side of the monitoring section to capture real-time videos of vehicles passing through the monitoring section. The background-difference method was used to detect vehicles based on the frontal video. Subsequently, the transverse position was evaluated according to the distance between the vehicle’s license plate and the lane line. Other vehicle parameters, including the vehicle’s speed, the number of axles and the wheelbase, were identified based on the lateral video and the auxiliary lines with a known distance. Second, a laboratory model experiment and multiple field tests under different scenes were carried out to validate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. The results indicated that the average identification errors of wheelbase for the model experiment and the field tests were all 1.12% and those of the vehicle’s speed were 1.25% and 1.35, respectively. Also, the average deviations of the lateral position were 2.57 mm and 2.69 cm, respectively. The variances of the identified error of the three parameters for the field tests were 0.78%, 1.83 cm and 0.54%, respectively. This verified that the proposed method has high accuracy, reliability and good anti-noise performance. KEYWORDS: Machine vision, Spatiotemporal information, Load identification, Orthotropic deck, Bridge engineering.

Fatigue crack monitoring in OSDs using Lamb wave longitudinal transmission

Orthotropic steel bridge decks (OSDs) find extensive use in bridge engineering worldwide but suffer from fatigue cracking due to vehicle loads. The technology of Lamb wave longitudinal transmission has potential to monitor fatigue cracks. Experimental and numerical investigations were conducted to examine the impact of wave longitudinal transmission on fatigue crack monitoring, utilizing the lightweight arrangements of Lamb wave sensors. Three full scale specimens of OSDs were manufactured and subjected to testing. The sensors utilizing Lamb waves were continuously monitored two types of cracks that were initiated in tests. Standardized wave features were extracted by a wavelet transform algorithm from the received waves in order to evaluate crack growth. Finite element models was also established and verified by the experimental results. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of crack types, wave transmission distances, and excitation frequencies on wave features. The experimental results show that the wave features exhibit clear variation trends as both the fatigue life and the fatigue crack lengths increase. The findings of the parametric study reveal the proposed sensor arrangements are proved to be suitable for general application. Meanwhile, the different variations in wave features can be observed in the various crack types and lengths, but they are less noticeable when considering different wave transmission distances, as long as the excitation frequencies remain constant. The approach to improve the signal-to-noise ratio in engineering applications arises from the fact that the monitoring frequency of wave features should be chosen as the same as the excitation frequency.

Experimental study on optimization of continuous steel box girder bridge deck

ABSTRACT In order to accurately optimize the structural parameters of steel bridge deck(OSD), an optimal design method of continuous steel box girder bridge deck based on response surface method is proposed. Optimization design process includes full scale model test, finite element analysis, response surface function fitting and design parameter optimization. The orthotropic steel bridge deck’s deck thickness, stiffener thickness, diaphragm thickness, stiffener height, and diaphragm opening form are chosen as independent variables, and the internal forces of important structural components discovered are used as dependent variables. Design-Expert software created a five-factor, three-level response surface test. A multivariate quadratic response surface regression model between structural parameters and target response values was developed after the objective function and constraint criteria were identified. Numerical theory’s variance analysis was used to find the best combination, and Design Expert software was used to confirm it to make sure the design value was accurate. The findings indicate that optimized structural parameters are trustworthy because the difference between the predicted value and the theoretical value is less than 5%. An orthotropic steel bridge deck’s structural parameters can be optimized using the response surface approach. It serves as a reference for subsequent steel bridge deck design and construction.