FATIGUE EVALUATION FOR ROOT CRACKS IN U-RIB TO DECK WELDED JOINTS OF ORTHOTROPIC STEEL DECKS BASED ON FIELD MEASUREMENTS

Abstract

 This paper examines application of a fatigue evaluation method for the cracks in the weld joints between a U-rib and a deck plate in orthotropic steel bridge decks. Field measurements were conducted in two sections with different crack initiation trends, and a method was proposed to obtain the cumulative fatigue damage ratio from the measurement results and routinely obtained data such as temperature and traffic volume. In addition, the validity of the evaluation of crack initiation and propagation direction by the developed evaluation method is verified by comparing with the actual crack situation, and a method to screen out the priority inspection and investigation area is proposed.