Evaluation of Fatigue Category of Riveted Steel Bridge Connections

One of the most difficult problems is to assess the fatigue life of old riveted bridges. This is due to the mechanism of fatigue damage being unknown, and the most accepted methods for predicting such characteristics as fatigue life, remain questionable. However, there are several factors controlling fatigue life such as the stress history, environmental conditions and design details. This report summarizes the different factors affecting the fatigue behavior and suggests a collection of fatigue curves for four different riveted connections based on a review of reviewed experimental results.