Fatigue Reliability Assessment for Orthotropic Steel Decks Based on Long-Term Strain Monitoring

A time-dependent fatigue reliability assessment approach is proposed for welded details of orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) using long-term strain monitoring data. The fatigue reliability limit function of the welded details is established based on the Eurocode specifications. Depending on the distribution characteristics of the measured daily equivalent stress range, either the lognormal distribution or Gaussian mixture model (GMM) is selected to quantify its uncertainty. Subsequently, the fatigue reliability can be calculated using either an explicit formula or the Monte Carlo method. This proposed approach is applied for the fatigue reliability evaluation of two rib-to-deck and two rib-to-rib welded fatigue details of an in-service suspension bridge. The results show that the reliability indices decrease significantly with bridge’s service life. Except for a rib-to-deck detail, all other three welded details cannot meet the target fatigue reliability during this bridge’s 100-year service life. The proposed approach can help bridge owners and operators make informed decisions regarding maintenance and repair of potential fatigue cracks.