Title:
Investigation of Fatigue Damage in Steel-Free Bridge Decks with Application to Structural Monitoring
Author(s):
Rahman Edalatmanesh and John P. Newhook
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
110
Issue:
4
Appears on pages(s):
557-564
Keywords:
bridge decks; crack width; damage accumulation; fatigue; punching shear; structural health monitoring
DOI:
10.14359/51685741
Date:
7/1/2013
Abstract:
The steel-free deck system is a unique concrete deck slab for girder bridges. The system does not require internal reinforcement for strength. This paper reports the results of an investigation into the fatigue behavior of this system. For this purpose, two sets of five precast steel-free decks with two different concrete strengths were constructed and tested under differing levels of fatigue loading to study their behavior. The behavior of parameters, such as the strap strain, deck deflection, and crack width, which could be monitored in field bridges with steel-free decks, was studied. Based on these experimental results, an S-N curve was suggested for the precast steel-free decks and a generic format for the monitoring parameters of the structural model was produced.