The Fatigue Life Prediction of Welded Joints in Orthotropic Steel Bridge Decks Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation Under Vehicle Loads
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Fatigue Life Assessment Method Considering Impact of Welding Residual Stress Relaxation
2.1. Multi-Scale Finite Element Model (FEM) for Vehicle-Induced Coupled Analysis
2.2. Weld-Induced Residual Stress Distribution of Local Solid FEM
2.3. Fatigue Strength S–N Curves Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation
3. Fatigue Damage Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation Under Typical Vehicle Loadings
3.1. The Welding Residual Stress Relaxation Effect of Welded Joints Under Typical Vehicle Loadings
3.1.1. Fatigue Vehicle Load
3.1.2. The True Stress Time–History Curve Under Tension/Compressive Stress Working Conditions
3.2. The Fatigue Damage Results of Welded Joints Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation
4. Fatigue Life Prediction Considering Variations in Traffic Loads
4.1. Influence of Vehicle Weight Increase on Fatigue Life
4.2. Influence of Traffic Flow Growth on Fatigue Life
5. Conclusions
- (1)
- The state of tension or compression in vehicle load stress notably impacts the residual stress relaxation effect observed in welded joints. When subjected to compressive stress working conditions (CC), the relaxation phenomenon at the weld position is minimal. However, when exposed to tensile stress working conditions (TC), the relaxation magnitude of the von Mises stress amounts to 81.2% of the average vehicle load stress value, indicating the notable impact of relaxation.
- (2)
- The welding residual stress and its relaxation effect alter the stress ratio (R) when subjected to vehicle load stress, thereby influencing the fatigue life of welded joints. For instance, the transverse stress ratio R transitions from negative infinity to positive under CC conditions, resulting in a shift from a compressive to a tensile fatigue stress state. Conversely, the mean stress (σm) at the weld position significantly rises under TC conditions, leading to non-zero fatigue damage and a reduction in fatigue life from infinite to finite.
- (3)
- Under TC conditions, the fatigue damage determined using the S–N curves from the Eurocode 3 and AASHTO specifications indicates an infinite lifespan. However, when calculated using the S–N curves considering weld-induced residual stress and its relaxation, the results align with the order of magnitude observed under CC conditions.
- (4)
- Based on traffic data from Jiangyin Bridge, the fatigue life of deck-to-rib welding details is 28.26 years, calculated using the method considering the impact of welding residual stress relaxation proposed in this paper. Moreover, when the vehicle weight increases by 30%, the fatigue life significantly drops to just 9.25 years. Similarly, a 30% increase in the traffic volume leads to a fatigue life of 12.13 years. These assessment results demonstrate the accuracy of the fatigue assessment method described in this paper, which accurately determined a value close to the monitored fatigue cracking life of Jiangyin Bridge, i.e., approximately 9 years.
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Working Condition | CC | TC | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Stress | True stress amplitude σreal/Mpa | Only considering vehicle loadings | 73.86 | 20.52 |
Considering welding residual stress and its relaxation effect | 67.68 | 14.92 | ||
Mean stress σm/Mpa | Only considering vehicle loadings | −41.53 | 11.55 | |
Considering welding residual stress and its relaxation effect | 172.8 | 249.51 | ||
Equivalent stress amplitude Sa(R = −1)/Mpa | Only considering vehicle loadings | 65.92 | 21.23 | |
Considering welding residual stress and its relaxation effect | 135.59 | 53.91 | ||
Stress ratio R | Only considering vehicle loadings | −∞ | 0 | |
Considering welding residual stress and its relaxation effect | 0.62~0.81 | 0.89~0.96 |
Condition | Fatigue Design Curve | Stress Time-Course Curves | Fatigue Parameters | Number of Cycles | Fatigue Damage | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CC | Eurocode 3 specification S–N curve | Figure 10a | 35.45 | −17.73 | 0.5 | 1.086 × 109 | 4.0871 × 10−8 |
35.45 | −17.73 | 0.5 | 1.086 × 109 | ||||
67.45 | −33.73 | 0.5 | 4.356 × 107 | ||||
61.31 | −30.65 | 1 | 7.024 × 107 | ||||
61.31 | −30.65 | 1 | 7.024 × 107 | ||||
67.45 | −33.73 | 0.5 | 4.356 × 107 | ||||
AASHTO specification S–N curve | Figure 10a | 35.45 | −17.73 | 0.5 | 2.585 × 109 | 5.7193 × 10−8 | |
35.45 | −17.73 | 0.5 | 2.585 × 109 | ||||
67.45 | −33.73 | 0.5 | 3.753 × 107 | ||||
61.31 | −30.65 | 1 | 4.999 × 107 | ||||
61.31 | −30.65 | 1 | 4.999 × 107 | ||||
S–N curves considering weld-induced residual stress and its relaxation | Figure 11a | 4.39 | 335.59 | 1 | ∞ | 8.002 × 10−8 | |
7.26 | 331.95 | 1 | 4.341 × 109 | ||||
7.71 | 332.30 | 0.5 | 6.888 × 109 | ||||
7.36 | 331.86 | 0.5 | 2.915 × 107 | ||||
7.36 | 331.86 | 0.5 | 2.916 × 107 | ||||
7.36 | 331.86 | 0.5 | 2.934 × 107 | ||||
TC | Eurocode 3 specification S–N curve | Figure 10a | 9.53 | 4.77 | 0.5 | ∞ | 0 |
9.53 | 4.77 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
18.16 | 9.09 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
16.24 | 8.12 | 1 | ∞ | ||||
16.24 | 8.12 | 1 | ∞ | ||||
18.16 | 9.09 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
AASHTO specification S–N curves | Figure 10a | 9.53 | 4.77 | 0.5 | ∞ | 0 | |
9.53 | 4.77 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
18.16 | 9.09 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
16.24 | 8.12 | 1 | ∞ | ||||
16.24 | 8.12 | 1 | ∞ | ||||
18.16 | 9.09 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
S–N curves considering weld-induced residual stress and its relaxation | Figure 11b | 3.92 | 336.08 | 0.5 | ∞ | 1.316 × 10−8 | |
3.92 | 336.08 | 0.5 | ∞ | ||||
6.80 | 333.20 | 0.5 | 1.008 × 108 | ||||
6.80 | 333.20 | 0.5 | 1.008 × 108 | ||||
7.25 | 332.85 | 0.5 | 4.633 × 108 | ||||
7.25 | 332.85 | 0.5 | 4.633 × 108 | ||||
7.25 | 332.85 | 0.5 | 4.633 × 108 |
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Zhong, W.; Ding, Y.; Song, Y.; Liu, S.; Xu, M.; Wang, X. The Fatigue Life Prediction of Welded Joints in Orthotropic Steel Bridge Decks Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation Under Vehicle Loads. Buildings 2025, 15, 1644. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101644
Zhong W, Ding Y, Song Y, Liu S, Xu M, Wang X. The Fatigue Life Prediction of Welded Joints in Orthotropic Steel Bridge Decks Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation Under Vehicle Loads. Buildings. 2025; 15(10):1644. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101644
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhong, Wen, Youliang Ding, Yongsheng Song, Sumei Liu, Mengyao Xu, and Xin Wang. 2025. "The Fatigue Life Prediction of Welded Joints in Orthotropic Steel Bridge Decks Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation Under Vehicle Loads" Buildings 15, no. 10: 1644. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101644
APA StyleZhong, W., Ding, Y., Song, Y., Liu, S., Xu, M., & Wang, X. (2025). The Fatigue Life Prediction of Welded Joints in Orthotropic Steel Bridge Decks Considering Weld-Induced Residual Stress and Its Relaxation Under Vehicle Loads. Buildings, 15(10), 1644. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101644