INDUCED BRIDGE LOADS AND MOMENTS DURING A TEN YEAR PERIOD

A METHOD IS PRESENTED OF ESTIMATING THE CUMULATIVE FATIGUE DAMAGE ON HIGHWAY STRUCTURES DUE TO THE RANDOM LOADING OF HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC. THE METHOD IS A THREE-PART PROCEDURE: FIRST, 24-HOUR TRUCK LOADOMETER DATA IS EXPANDED TO YEARLY VALUES. SECOND, THE FREQUENCY AND MAGNITUDE OF MAXIMUM BENDING MOMENTS ARE DETERMINED FOR SPECIFIC SPAN LENGTHS. THIRD, THE MOMENTS ARE TRANSFORMED INTO A RANGE OF STRESSES, USING CONVENTIONAL STRESS-MOMENT RELATIONSHIPS AND THE SECTIONAL PROPERTIES OF A TYPICAL STRUCTURE UNDER INVESTIGATION. THE FATIGUE LIFE OF THE STRUCTURE IS DETERMINED FROM MODIFIED GOODMAN DIAGRAMS FOR THE CRITICAL FATIGUE CONDITION. THE CUMULATIVE FATIGUE DAMAGE IS OBTAINED BY CALCULATING THE CYCLE RATIOS AND APPLYING MINER'S CUMULATIVE DAMAGE HYPOTHESIS. THE METHOD WAS APPLIED TO EIGHT HIGHWAY BRIDGES OF VARIOUS TYPES AND VARIOUS LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF MARYLAND. RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE CUMULATIVE FATIGUE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE HEAVY TRUCK TRAFFIC DURING THE TEN-YEAR PERIOD FROM 1955-1964 WAS OF SUCH A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE ESTIMATED FATIGUE LIFE, THAT THERE IS NO FEAR OF FATIGUE FAILURE FOR A LONG TIME TO COME. /BPR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Hpr-pr-1 (4), AW-69-64-46
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Maryland, College Park

  Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
  College Park, MD  United States  20742

  Maryland State Roads Commission

  ,    

  Bureau of Public Roads /US

  400 7th Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Werner, J D
  • Heins, C P
  • Looney, C T
• Publication Date: 1968-6

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bending moments; Bridge superstructures; Distributions (Statistics); Fatigue (Mechanics); Fatigue (Physiological condition); Highway bridges; Loadometers; Loads; Loss and damage; Stresses; Trucks
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge spans; Fatigue life; Loading
• Old TRIS Terms: Cumulative distributions
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways; Motor Carriers;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00207900
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Bureau of Public Roads /US
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 18 1994 12:00AM