Vertical stiffeners are usually welded to deck plates to prevent out-plane-buckling of webs in an orthotropic steel deck bridge. When wheel loads locate on close to the stiffener, high stress concentrations occur in connections between deck plates and vertical stiffeners because the stiffener restricts the bending deformation of deck plate. In this study, fatigue tests and stress analyses on model specimens of the connection have been performed in order to reproduce the cracks observed in the actual decks and clarify the propagating behavior of the fatigue cracks. In addition, the effect of finishing the weld toe has been also examined, and fatigue crack originating point is discussed using effective notch stress conception.
