PRESENTATION ON

FATIGUE EFFECTS ON BRIDGES

BY
JANARDHAN C N

Loaction : USA
Constructed : 1967

I-35W Mississippi River bridge

Collapsed in the year 2007 serving for 40 years

I-35W Mississippi River bridge

Loaction : Indonesia
Constructed : 2001

Kutai Kartanegara Bridge

Collapsed in the year 2011 serving for 10 years

Kutai Kartanegara Bridge

Loaction : South Korea

Constructed : 1979

Seongsu Bridge

Collapsed in the year 1994 serving for 15 years

Seongsu Bridge

Loaction : USA
Constructed : 1958
Collapsed : 1983

Served for 25 years

Mianus River Bridge

Loaction : United States

Constructed : 1900

Kinzua Bridge

Collapsed in the year 2003, Served for 103 years

Kinzua Bridge

Some common causes for

failure of Bridges

Yielding
Deflection beyond a certain stage
Buckling
Fatigue
Environmental degradation
Vibrational Modes
Impact
Wear

Fatigue

Fatigue is defined as the loss of resistance of a material with

the application of dynamic or repeated loads.
The fatigue failure is characterized by the loss of strength
due to the cracks growth.
A load of insufficient magnitude to cause failure in a single
application may lead to failure if it is removed and reapplied
repeatedly.
Fatigue is generally caused by repeated cycles of tensile
loading.
Fatigue cracks in many cases are very fine, remaining tightly
closed at minimum load and hence difficult to find by visual
examination alone.

Characteristics of fatigue
Fatigue fracture take place in three stages during the life of a
fracture
structure :

1.
2.
3.

Initiation of Microscopic Defect

Propagation of Cracks in Gradual Manner
Final Rupture

Cracking originates mostly on the surface at a point of stress

concentration.
In most welded steel structures the crack initiation phase
does not exist as cracklike weld defects are invariably
present in them. Thus the fatigue life of a connection
containing welds is entirely due to crack growth.
Final failure usually occurs in a tension region when the
reduced section is no more sufficient to carry the peak load.

A small crack initiated grows slowly with the repetition of

stress cycles. As the crack propagates, the cross-section
reduces and the stress on the reduced cross section increases .
Finally rupture occurs when the remaining area is no longer
sufficient to support the applied load.

Mechanism of Crack Initiation

The nominal or the stress without concentration effects may be

below proportional limit. At this stage, slip might occur in an
crystallographic plane due to excessive shear stress on the
plane. This might be a fine slip of order 10-6 mm below adjacent
region of the crystal.
The reversal of stress at this time might partially set the
disorientation. The repetition of the stress cycle and the
resulting back and forth slip on closely spaced parallel planes
will cause slip band to develop. This would form a notch.
A microscopic crack may form because of the stress raising
effect of the notch or notch itself become deeper.

Modes of failure

Depending on the type of

opening or displacements of
crack front, the three primary
microscopic fracture modes
are:
Mode I (Tension, Opening)

Mode II (In-Plane Shear, sliding)

Mode III (Out-of-Plane Shear, Tearing)

Types of fatigue

Lower the stress ranges i.e., the difference between the

alternating maximum and minimum stresses, the larger the
number of cycles the structure can withstand before the
occurrence of fracture.
The two main type of Fatigue process are:
1.

High-Cycle Low-Stress Fatigue

2.

Low-Cycle High-Stress Fatigue

Types of fatigue (contd)

High Cycle Low Stress Fatigue

Elasticity; High Cycle fatigue corresponds to relatively

small stress amplitudes which induce large numbers of
cycles to failure (greater than 105).

Low Cycle High Stress Fatigue

Elasto-Plasticity; Low cycle fatigue corresponds to

stresses above the yield stress which induce lower
number of cycles to failure (smaller than 105).

Types of fatigue loading

Constant Amplitude Fatigue Loading

Variable Amplitude Fatigue Loading

Types of fatigue loading

Constant Amplitude Fatigue Loading
(contd)

Constant
amplitude
loading refers to cyclic
loading whose amplitude
is constant with time
This type of loading
usually
occurs
in
machinery parts such as
shafts and rods during
periods of steady-state
rotation.

Types of fatigue loading (contd)

Types of fatigue loading

Variable
Amplitude Fatigue Loading
(contd)

Variable amplitude loading refers to cyclic loading

whose amplitude is variable with time
This type of loading usually occurs due to vehicle
loading on bridges, wind loading on aircraft and wave
loading on ships.

Forms of fatigue failures

Mechanical Fatigue

Creep Fatigue

Thermo Mechanical Fatigue

Corrosion Fatigue

Contact Fatigue

Fretting Fatigue

Fatigue Life

Fatigue life is the number of repeated cycles of loading ( Nt)

that a material will undergo before it fails.
Number of cycles required to initiate a fatigue crack is the
Fatigue Crack Initiation Life Ni.
Number of cycles required to propagate a fatigue crack to a
critical size is called the Fatigue Crack Propagation Life, Np.

N t = Ni + Np

Fatigue Life Evaluation

Fatigue failure Evaluation is influenced by a number of
uncertainties, an accurate prediction of fatigue life is difficult
even for a very simple detail.
Fatigue failure prediction is difficult in structural components due
the following uncertain features.

The effect of environment in which the structure is functioning.

Difficulties in accurate calculation of internal stresses due to
external forces in critical locations in the structure.

Examples for Fatigue facture

Fatigue cracking in a bridge girder starting from weld defects at a weld

intersection point

Examples for Fatigue facture

Radial and Tangential Crack.

Examples for Fatigue facture

Fatigue cracking in the hangers of the Mashita Bridge in Japan

Examples for Fatigue facture

Fatigue Cracking in Stringers at Timber Tie Connections

Examples for Fatigue facture

Fatigue cracking in the Riveted Connection of Cross-Bracing Elements

Examples for Fatigue facture

Fatigue Cracking in Bridge Girders with Cope-Holes at Severe Stress

Concentration Locations

Examples for Fatigue

facture

Fatigue Cracking of Cover-Plate Ends

Fatigue Assessment of
BS 5400-10 specifiesBridges
the three procedures for the assessment
Highway
of details in the Highway bridges

Assessment without damage calculations

Damage calculation, single wheel method

Damage Calculation, Vehicle Spectrum Method

The selection of the appropriate procedure depends on the

detail classification, design life, load spectrum and assumed
annual flow of commercial vehicle.

Classification of Details

Each part of a constructional details subjected to fluctuating

stress is designated with particular class in British Standards.
The classification of detail depends upon the following:
1.
The direction of the fluctuating stress relative to the detail.
2.
The location of possible crack initiation at the detail.
3.
The methods and standard of manufacture and inspection
A rating given to a detail indicates the level of fatigue
resistance.

Detail Type-1 : Non Welded

Detail Type-2 : Welded details other

than the End Connection Member

Detail Type-2 : Welded details at End

Connection of Member

Standard Fatigue Vehicle

Axle Arrangement

Plan of Standard Axle

Designation of lanes for Fatigue

Purposes
Three lane dual carriageways

Two Lane Slip Road

Three lane single carriageway

Two lane single carriageway

Assessment without Damage Calculations

Damage Calculation, Single Vehicle Method

This method determines the fatigue life of the details and may be
used where a more precise assessment is required.
Procedure:

Apply the standard fatigue vehicle to each slow lane and each
adjacent lane in turn.
Determine the algebraic value of principal stress, or the vector
sum stress for weld throat at the detail to be assessed for each
peak and trough in the stress history of each lane in turn.

Damage Calculation, Single Vehicle Method

Damage Calculation, Single Vehicle Method

Damage Calculation, Single Vehicle Method

Derive the stress spectrum v1, v2 etc. form each stress

history.
Determine the effective annual flow of commercial vehicles
nc million, appropriate to each stress spectrum as follows:

Annual flow of commercial vehicle ( nc x 106 )

Damage Calculation, Single Vehicle Method

For each stress range v of each stress spectrum, determine

the appropriate lifetime damage factor d120 from the damage
chart.

Damage Calculation, Single Vehicle Method

Life time damage factor to be multiplied by appropriate n c value

Determine the value of the adjustment factor Kf according to
the base length L of the point load influence line and stress
range ratio KB.

Fatigue life =

Damage Calculation, Vehicle Spectrum Method

This method involves an explicit calculation of Miners summation
and may be used for any detail for which the r N relationship
and stress spectrum is known.
Design spectrum:

The individual stress spectra for the detail being assessed

should be derived by traversing each vehicle in the load
spectrum along the various lanes. Account should also be taken
of the possibility of higher stress ranges due to some of the
vehicle occurring simultaneously in one or more lane and in
alternating sequence in two lanes.

Calculation of damage:
Using the design spectrum, the value of Miners summation should
be calculated. This value should not be less than 1 for the
fatigue life of the detail to be excepted.

General guidance while designing a welded

structure with respect to fatigue strength

Adopt butt or single and double bevel butt welds in preference

to fillet welds.
Aim to place weld, particularly toe, root and weld end in area of
low stress.
Avoid details that produce severe stress concentration or poor
stress distribution.
Provide gradual transitions in sections and avoid reentrant notch
like corners.
Use continuous rather than intermittent welds.
Avoid making attachments on parts subjected to severe fatigue
loading.
During fabrication, carry out necessary inspection to ensure
proper deposition of welds.

Thank you