Performance of Orthotropic Steel Deck with Embedded Fatigue Cracks

Abstract:

By embedding these cracks on the model， the effects on the structural responses and fatigue life of the cracked orthotropic steel deck （OSD） and the pavement are presented with comparison to the crack-free condition. The results show that a penetrating crack can hardly affect the local stiffness before it completely penetrates thorough the deck plate and grows to a considerable length. However， the penetrating crack will always be a problem as it may lead to the strain concentration at the bottom of the pavement， resulting in a significant reduction of its fatigue life. Based on the strain-life relationship of the pavement， it is estimated that when the depth of the cracks reaches 1/2 and 3/4 of the deck plate thickness， the pavement fatigue life can be reduced by about 15% and 35%， respectively.