Predicting Fatigue Lifetime from Strain Histograms in an Abbreviated Time Window

This work presents the development of a methodology for estimating the year in which American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)-prescribed fatigue lifetime expectations will be reached for a structural detail on a steel highway bridge. The methodology is based upon a year-round strain monitoring program of an ensemble of 24 bridge structures, located on Ohio highways of 8 different functional classes. The data from the strain monitoring program was processed into a normalized temporal representation of the expected accumulation of fatigue damage for the 8 different highway functional classes studied. An algorithm is presented to estimate the annual damage for a particular detail from a site-specific strain histogram, collected over an abbreviated time window. The extrapolation of the short-term histogram to an annual fatigue damage estimate is carried out utilizing the normalized temporal damage accumulation model for the appropriate highway functional class. Sample statistics and probability theory are used to construct confidence intervals associated with the estimate of annual damage. Projected growth rates of traffic volume and/or truck weights can be readily incorporated into the lifetime projection.

• Record URL:
  http://cdm16007.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p267401ccp2/id/2073
• Record URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/39314
• Summary URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/39315
• Corporate Authors:

  Case Western Reserve University

  Department of Civil Engineering, 10900 Euclid Avenue
  Cleveland, OH  United States  44106-7201

  Ohio Department of Transportation

  1980 West Broad Street
  Columbus, OH  United States  43223

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Huckelbridge, Arthur
  • Metzger, Andrew T
• Publication Date: 2006-12

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Bibliography; Figures; Maps; Photos; Tables;
• Pagination: 71p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Algorithms; Confidence intervals; Fatigue (Mechanics); Highway bridges; Histograms; Probability theory; Steel; Traffic volume
• Identifier Terms: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge structures
• Geographic Terms: Ohio
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Design; Highways; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01051574
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA/OH-2006/26
• Contract Numbers: 134188
• Files: NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 20 2007 2:38PM