Fatigue life study for a railroad bascule bridge

CT Jahren, JA Rooker - Transportation Research Record, 1992 - trid.trb.org
CT Jahren, JA Rooker
Transportation Research Record, 1992trid.trb.org
A fatigue study was undertaken for an 80-year-old drawbridge whose members receive
cyclic loading from both draw-span movements and trains. Although the study was a modest
effort, a significant amount of information was obtained. Fatigue loading was evaluated by
drawing a traffic sample from the railroad's data base and modifying the results in
accordance with historical records. Critical bridge members were identified using a three-
dimensional linear elastic analysis, and their cyclic stresses were corroborated by the results …
A fatigue study was undertaken for an 80-year-old drawbridge whose members receive cyclic loading from both draw-span movements and trains. Although the study was a modest effort, a significant amount of information was obtained. Fatigue loading was evaluated by drawing a traffic sample from the railroad's data base and modifying the results in accordance with historical records. Critical bridge members were identified using a three-dimensional linear elastic analysis, and their cyclic stresses were corroborated by the results of experimental work. Then the remaining fatigue life of these members was estimated. The results show that many of the members have a remaining fatigue life of substantial length.
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