Calibration of Fatigue Design Factors and Fatigue Life Reliability of Steel Highway Bridges Using WIM Databases

Calibration of Fatigue Design Factors and Fatigue Life Reliability of Steel Highway Bridges Using WIM Databases
Author: Ahmed Mostafa Tawfik Farag
Publisher:
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2015
Genre: Iron and steel bridges
ISBN:

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Fatigue life assessment of steel highway bridges is crucial to maintain their safety. Researches are required to quantify uncertainties in loading, resistance, fatigue life prediction and improvement techniques. This study calibrates some fatigue code parameters and models fatigue loading probabilistically using truck data in Canada. Fatigue life improvement by weld toe grinding is assessed experimentally and numerically. Finally, the remaining fatigue life using reliability-based method for cruciform bridge welded detail is predicted. Truck data screening is vital to ensure its quality in calibration and load history prediction. Three different fatigue truck factors and equivalent number of cycles are proposed, using single and dual slope curves, for three bridge span ranges. Span length and fatigue category affected the calibration in short spans and dual slope curves. Using Ontario and Quebec data, probabilistic distributions for stress-range histograms for bridge spans and configurations are developed. Weld toe grinding improved the fatigue life by 60% for category E joint compared to the non-ground specimen. Still, weld imperfections might adverse grinding effect. In deterministic fatigue life prediction, energy-based approach is used for crack initiation, while linear elastic fracture mechanics is used for crack propagation. An initial spherical flaw size of 0.1 mm with no residual stresses leads to the most precise prediction of fatigue resistance for test specimens. For the probabilistic fatigue life prediction of cruciform detail of 6.4 mm fillet weld size, the fatigue life of the concave weld profiles are usually larger than the convex ones. The study developed a method to convert the probabilistic stress range into number of cycles for remaining fatigue life reliability of steel detail. The generated reliability illustrates the fatigue repair and inspection management.

Fatigue Evaluation of Steel Bridges

Fatigue Evaluation of Steel Bridges
Author: Mark Douglas Bowman
Publisher: Transportation Research Board
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2012
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 030925826X

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"TRB's National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 721: Fatigue Evaluation of Steel Bridges provides proposed revisions to Section 7--Fatigue Evaluation of Steel Bridges of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Manual for Bridge Evaluation with detailed examples of the application of the proposed revisions."--Publisher's description.

Fatigue Evaluation Procedures for Steel Bridges

Fatigue Evaluation Procedures for Steel Bridges
Author: Fred Moses
Publisher: Transportation Research Board National Research
Total Pages: 104
Release: 1987
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN:

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Fatigue Reliability of Steel Highway Bridge Details

Fatigue Reliability of Steel Highway Bridge Details
Author: Peter J. Massarelli
Publisher:
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2001
Genre: Iron and steel bridges
ISBN:

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The expected life of a steel highway bridge subjected to random, variable-amplitude traffic cycles is highly dependent on damage accumulation caused by various fatigue mechanisms. This study addressed some of the issues associated with developing probabilistic reliability models for steel bridge structures under vehicular traffic loadings. Specifically, methods for incorporating inspection data (e.g., the presence and size of cracks) into classical and fracture mechanics-based fatigue models to predict fracture-critical element damage accumulation were analyzed. The block loading method introduced here assigns a damage state to the cracked detail after each vehicle passage. This method is limited to loading blocks where the plastic zone at the crack tip developed by the pseudo-static response of the bridge must be larger than the crack growth caused by the subsequent dynamic cycles for each vehicle passage. It must also be assumed that the crack length is fixed during a loading block. This method accounts for closure effects by predicting the occurrence of damage only when the crack is opened. When a bridge inspection reveals fatigue cracks, field data in the form of strain measurements can be collected in the vicinity of the fracture detail to identify the characteristic stress block and the fluctuations in the curve attributes attributable to randomness of the traffic loading. Then, the data can be analyzed to identify the statistical properties of the attribute parameters, which include the magnitude of the pseudo-static response, the number of dynamic cycles in each block, and the duration of the vehicle passage. With this information, the distribution of stress blocks can be estimated, and the block loading method can be employed to calculate the fatigue lifetime of each critical detail.

Fatigue Life Analyses of Welded Structures

Fatigue Life Analyses of Welded Structures
Author: Tom Lassen
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 1118614704

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Avoiding or controlling fatigue damage is a major issue in the design and inspection of welded structures subjected to dynamic loading. Life predictions are usually used for safe life analysis, i.e. for verifying that it is very unlikely that fatigue damage will occur during the target service life of a structure. Damage tolerance analysis is used for predicting the behavior of a fatigue crack and for planning of in-service scheduled inspections. It should be a high probability that any cracks appearing are detected and repaired before they become critical. In both safe life analysis and the damage tolerance analysis there may be large uncertainties involved that have to be treated in a logical and consistent manner by stochastic modeling. This book focuses on fatigue life predictions and damage tolerance analysis of welded joints and is divided into three parts. The first part outlines the common practice used for safe life and damage tolerance analysis with reference to rules and regulations. The second part emphasises stochastic modeling and decision-making under uncertainty, while the final part is devoted to recent advances within fatigue research on welded joints. Industrial examples that are included are mainly dealing with offshore steel structures. Spreadsheets which accompany the book give the reader the possibility for hands-on experience of fatigue life predictions, crack growth analysis and inspection planning. As such, these different areas will be of use to engineers and researchers.

Metal Fatigue Analysis Handbook

Metal Fatigue Analysis Handbook
Author: Yung-Li Lee
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 634
Release: 2011-08-17
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0123852048

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Understand why fatigue happens and how to model, simulate, design and test for it with this practical, industry-focused reference Written to bridge the technology gap between academia and industry, the Metal Fatigue Analysis Handbook presents state-of-the-art fatigue theories and technologies alongside more commonly used practices, with working examples included to provide an informative, practical, complete toolkit of fatigue analysis. Prepared by an expert team with extensive industrial, research and professorial experience, the book will help you to understand: Critical factors that cause and affect fatigue in the materials and structures relating to your work Load and stress analysis in addition to fatigue damage-the latter being the sole focus of many books on the topic How to design with fatigue in mind to meet durability requirements How to model, simulate and test with different materials in different fatigue scenarios The importance and limitations of different models for cost effective and efficient testing Whilst the book focuses on theories commonly used in the automotive industry, it is also an ideal resource for engineers and analysts in other disciplines such as aerospace engineering, civil engineering, offshore engineering, and industrial engineering. The only book on the market to address state-of-the-art technologies in load, stress and fatigue damage analyses and their application to engineering design for durability Intended to bridge the technology gap between academia and industry - written by an expert team with extensive industrial, research and professorial experience in fatigue analysis and testing An advanced mechanical engineering design handbook focused on the needs of professional engineers within automotive, aerospace and related industrial disciplines

S-N Fatigue Reliability Analysis of Highway Bridges

S-N Fatigue Reliability Analysis of Highway Bridges
Author: P. Albrecht
Publisher:
Total Pages: 21
Release: 1983
Genre: Bridges
ISBN:

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This paper presents a method of calculating the expected fatigue failure probability of a structural detail, given the distribution of resistance and load. The resistance data, in terms of cycles to failure, come from previous laboratory tests. The load data come either from stress range histograms recorded on bridges or from loadmeter surveys. The proposed method replaces each histogram by an equivalent stress range and converts the latter into a distribution in terms of number of cycles. The problem is thus cast into the standard format for reliability analysis and allows one to calculate failure probabilities. Application of the method to designs in accordance with the AASHTO Specifications showed that fatigue failure probabilities for redundant load path (RLP) structures are inconsistent and vary greatly from PF = 9.2 x 10-2 for Category B to PF = 9.2 x 10-10 for Category E'. For nonredundant load path (NRLP) structures, they vary from PF = 5.1 x 10-2 for Category A to PF = 2.1 x 10-22 for Category E. It is proposed that the specifications be revised to include: (1) allowable stress ranges for RLP and NRLP structures with uniform failure probabilities; (2) explicit formulation of the specifications in terms of the actual number of single "fatigue trucks," each causing an equivalent stress range; and (3) continuous definition of allowable stress range versus truck traffic volume. An example illustrates the design of a bridge, not covered by the AASHTO specifications, to a specified failure probability.

Analysis of the AASHTO Fatigue Design Provisions for Welded Steel Bridge Details Using Reliability Theory

Analysis of the AASHTO Fatigue Design Provisions for Welded Steel Bridge Details Using Reliability Theory
Author: Benjamin Thomas Cross
Publisher:
Total Pages: 101
Release: 2007
Genre: Bridges
ISBN: 9780549060093

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The current fatigue design provisions in the AASHTO LRFD Specifications (2004) are based on an allowable stress approach. Provisions for most limit states, however, have been updated to the more modern reliability-based Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) approach. The primary objective of the reported research was to assess the reliability present in the AASHTO fatigue design specifications for welded steel bridge details such that more uniform design provisions can eventually be implemented. To accomplish this, a reliability model was developed assuming a log-log straight line fatigue resistance model. The statistical parameters of the variables included in the model were determined based on sound engineering judgment and values used in similar past studies. The safety indices present in the current design provisions were then evaluated. The results indicate that the safety level of the current design provisions varies by span length and by detail category. Therefore, a target safety index was selected based on those currently present in design and new design fatigue resistance coefficients were proposed such that the safety level of the fatigue specifications would be uniform across all detail categories for a given set of design conditions. In addition, the safety of the design variable amplitude fatigue limits was evaluated through the use of computer simulations. New variable amplitude fatigue limits were then proposed to correspond with the proposed design fatigue resistance coefficients.