Fatigue Performance of CFRP-Strengthened Rib-to-Diaphragm Welded Details of Orthotropic Steel Decks: Experimental and Numerical Evaluation

Rib-to-diaphragm welded details of orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) are susceptible to fatigue cracking. To deal with such cracking problem, a strengthening method using externally bonded carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) plates was investigated by fatigue experiment and numerical evaluation. A full-scale OSD specimen with two ribs and two diaphragms was tested to evaluate fatigue cracking behavior, as well as the stress before and after strengthening. An experimentally validated numerical model was established to confirm the optimal opportunity for CFRP strengthening. The influence of different CFRP strengthening measures were then discussed on the stress intensity factors at crack tips. It was shown that bonding of CFRP plates can significantly reduce stress of rib-to-diaphragm welded details. The best opportunity for CFRP strengthening is selected as the length of crack reaches at 25.00 mm where the amplitude of stress intensity factor is the smallest. The attachment of CFRP plates by bonding on the surface of cracked plates can reduce stress response at cracked region by more than 30%. The length of crack is of no flat growth until the total number of loading cycle after strengthening arrived at 0.8 million. Results of SIFs calculated by numerical model dropes after strengthening with reduction rate more than 35% and 18% at two crack tips and crack midpoint, respectively. Compared to the geometric dimensions of CFRP, the elastic modulus of CFRP and glue layer shows more significant influence on the fatigue performance of Rib-to-diaphragm welded details due to their stronger restraint to the propagation of crack peaks. This study provided a technical reference to the design and actual application of CFRP in the strengthening of welded details in OSDs.

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