Numerous fatigue cracks have been reported at welded joints between the deck plate and vertical stiffeners in orthotropic steel decks. This study investigates the influence of cut-out geometry, which is commonly adopted as a fatigue countermeasure, on stress reduction at these welded joints. Furthermore, a simplified method for estimating the stress reduction effect at the wrap-around welds of vertical stiffeners is proposed using a beam model. In addition, regression curves are proposed to estimate the stresses at the scallops and at the curved edges of the cut-outs using the dimensions of the vertical stiffeners, deck plate, and cut-outs.
