RETROFITTING METHOD FOR EXISTING ORTHOTROPIC STEEL DECK

Abstract

A number of fatigue cracks have been detected in orthotropic steel decks of highway bridges. The most effective retrofitting method is considered to be improvement of stiffness of the deck because the previous measurements and analysis have shown that the major cause of fatigue damage is the lack of stiffness in bending behavior of the deck. The static loading test with actual trucks was carried out with the specimens applied several types of retrofitting works. In this paper, the results of the loading test and the effectiveness of retrofitting method are presented and discussed.