Fatigue Safety Assessment of Existing Steel Bridges in China

Based on investigation of linear fatigue-damage accumulation theory and fracture mechanics, a deterministic assessment approach was first proposed, in which the fatigue failure behavior of existing steel bridges was reflected. Furthermore, according to the stochastic fatigue failure mechanism of existing steel bridges, member fatigue reliability assessment models were proposed using probabilistic fracture mechanics. The deterministic and probabilistic assessment methods proposed in this paper were applied to evaluate the remaining fatigue life and service safety of two case study bridges. According to assessment results, the safe inspection intervals and maintenance strategies were determined, which can control and avoid fatigue failure accidents and unnecessary repairs or replacements.