CORROSION FATIGUE OF BRIDGE STEELS. VOLUME III. BASIC DATA. FINAL REPORT

The research program and test results described in this report deal with the role that environment plays on the fatigue response of bridge steels with a particular emphasis on weldments. Three key elements are: small sample fatigue crack propagation studies of bridge steels and weldments in air and aqueous environments; small sample crack initiation studies of bridge steels and weldments in air and aqueous environments; and fatigue tests of full size bridge weldments in air and aqueous environments. The crack initiation studies indicated a reduction in the fatigue life of the samples for all combinations of environments and materials tested. The results of the fatigue crack propagation studies showed an apparent elevation in the fatigue thresholds for the material and environmental conditions tested, also showing no apparent change in the region II behavior. The full size beam weldments showed a slightly lower number of cycles to first crack detection in a water and a 3.5 percent NaCl-water environment as compared to air data. The total number of cycles to failure of the full size weldments in water were similar to those observed in other studies. The material presented in this volume represents the basic data collected in the research program. Also, a discussion of fracture mechanics as applied to bridge details is included.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • See also Volume I - Executive Summary (TRIS 461935) and Volume II - Test Results, Discussion, and Conclusions (TRIS 461943).
• Corporate Authors:

  Lehigh University

  Materials Research Center
  Bethlehem, PA  United States  18015

  Federal Highway Administration

  Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, 6300 Georgetown Pike
  McLean, VA  United States  22101
• Authors:
  • Roberts, R
  • Irwin, G R
  • Fisher, J W
  • Chen, G
  • Chakravarti, P
  • Ma, Z-Z
  • Yen, B T
• Publication Date: 1986-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 564 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Corrosion; Cracking; Mechanical fatigue; Metal bridges; Size; Steel bridges; Weldments
• Uncontrolled Terms: Crack propagation; Fatigue life
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Materials; I34: Steels and Metals;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00461943
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Federal Highway Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/RD-86/167, FCP 35A2-022
• Contract Numbers: DOT-FH-11-9448
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1988 12:00AM