CURRENT TRAFFIC LOADS OF METROPOLITAN EXPRESSWAY CONSIDERING THE EFFECT ON FATIGUE OF STEEL BRIDGES

Abstract

 Metropolitan expressway is located in Tokyo and the surrounding areas. It opened in 1962 and now have many fatigue cracks in the steel bridges due to the passage of heavy vehicles. This paper analyzes the current situation of traffic loads from a perspective of how heavy vehicles affect fatigue damage using the data obtained from axle-load meters installed at the tollgates, and also compares the current vehicle loads to those measured in the past. As a result, it shows that the equivalent vehicle load in 2016 is much smaller than that in around 1990 and the fatigue environment of Metropolitan Expressway is now greatly improved.