1. Introduction
The orthotropic steel bridge deck (OSD) is widely used in long-span bridges due to its light weight, high strength, and construction efficiency [
1,
2,
3,
4,
5]. In recent years, bridges such as the Jiangyin Yangtze river bridge, the Qingma bridge, and the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao bridge have all adopted an orthotropic steel bridge deck design [
6,
7]. This type of deck system comprises concrete pavement, steel deck, welded transverse diaphragms, and longitudinal U ribs. However, as a number of weld joints exist in OSD, it is sensitive to fatigue, especially at the welded joints from the rib to deck and U rib to transverse diaphragm [
8,
9,
10,
11]. Large numbers of fatigue cracks were found in the existing bridge [
12,
13,
14]. Fatigue cracks are typical problems for OSD and seriously endanger the durability and safety of steel bridge structures.
During the past decades, many efforts were made to investigate the fatigue performance of the OSD. Bu et al. [
15] established a finite element model of an orthotropic steel bridge deck to study the influence of the longitudinal position and shape of the initial crack on the fatigue crack propagation process. Jiang et al. [
16] considered the probability distribution of random factors for the location of the initial crack, such as the randomness of wheel load, material properties, and initial crack length. Maljaars et al. [
17,
18] established a linear elastic fracture mechanics model for typical fatigue cracks. The welded joint of the bridge deck was analyzed. Xiao et al. [
19] employed finite element software to study the stress analysis and fatigue assessment of steel orthotropic bridge decks and joints. Yu et al. [
20] carried out fatigue tests on the typical weld structure details of a steel bridge panel, and the results showed that cracks are prone to occur at the weld position between the longitudinal ribs and the bridge deck outside the longitudinal ribs. Yuasa et al. [
21] used a discrete Markov process to simulate fatigue crack growth by considering the resistance of the crack growth process and the randomness of external load. Heng et al. [
22] evaluated the fatigue properties of welded joints of orthotropic steel bridge panels with U-shaped ribs with thick edges and compared the fatigue properties with traditional U-shaped ribs, the use of a U rib with thickened edges enhanced the fatigue strength of rib-to-deck joints.
In these studies, the fatigue performance was analyzed by experimental and theoretical methods. As for structural improvement attempts for fatigue problems in OSD, few studies are reported in the literature review. From the structural point of view, the newly designed arc-shaped stiffener was proposed on the top of the bridge deck, where the U rib weld joint is located, as shown in
Figure 1.
For engineering applications, the design was based on the actual bridge project of the Mingzhu Bay steel bridge. In this study, the finite element model was established, and the comparative analysis was performed under the moving vehicle load. The sectional stress distribution, crack features, and fatigue life evaluations were studied and presented here.
A novel fatigue resistance steel bridge deck design was proposed in this study. For typical fatigue problems in the existing OSD, the new design can reduce the stress amplitude caused by a moving vehicle load. The thought of this design is to improve the stress distribution evenly and reduce the stress amplitude in order to enhance the fatigue resistance performance. Based on the existing OSD type, the arc-shaped stiffener was advised to mold with the steel deck to avoid the welding. By thickening the steel deck with an arc-shaped stiffener where the U rib welded seam is located below, a more even stress distribution on the steel deck can be obtained. Furthermore, the better cost-effective goal can be achieved by adding a small area of steel arc during the engineering application.
Author Contributions
P.L. wrote the manuscript, Y.C. and H.L. provided the ideas, thinking, and data processing, and J.Z., L.A. and Y.W. provided the fund. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
Science and Technology Research and Development Project of China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd. (DQJ-2018-A01); Tianjin Science and Technology Development Plan Project (19YDLZSF00030).
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co., Ltd. for the funding support.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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