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Fatigue reliability and post-fracture residual capacity of a two-girder steel bridge

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dc.contributor.authorHartung, Lena F., author
dc.contributor.authorMahmoud, Hussam, advisor
dc.contributor.authorAtadero, Rebecca, committee member
dc.contributor.authorStrong, Kelly, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2017-01-04T22:59:16Z
dc.date.available2017-01-04T22:59:16Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractDue to the immense and always increasing traffic volume, bridges are permanently subjected to repetitive loadings. These high numbers of cyclic loads can cause the initiation of fatigue cracks. If these flaws remain undetected they may become through-thickness cracks and further propagate, if left unrepaired, until they eventually lead to fracture of the entire member. The criticality of a full member fracture is not well defined nor agreed upon. Previous failure cases have demonstrated the ability of two-girder steel bridges to withstand full girder fracture of one of the two girders without structural collapse. Other cases, however, have shown the criticality of a complete girder failure on complete system collapse. Due to uncertainties in bridge redundancy and the ability to develop alternative load path, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) attempts to prevent fracture or collapse by classifying bridges with respect to their redundancy into fracture critical bridges (FCB) and decreasing their inspection periods. However, this leads to higher construction and maintenance costs for the owners of FCBs. Clearly, the level of uncertainty in bridge performance when one of its two girders suffer complete fracture should be represented in a probabilistic manner to evaluate the probability of fatigue crack growth and system collapse. To that end, thesis uses probabilistic analysis to assess the crack propagation behavior in a girder of a two-girder steel bridge by conducting finite element Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations account for the scatter in the load and the resistance by treating those uncertainties as random variables with predefined statistical distributions. Additionally, the post fracture redundancy is evaluated by comparing the resulting equivalent plastic strain to the failure strain of steel. The results show that the bridge provides sufficient redundancy to redistribute the load after full depth fracture a FC member. Furthermore, the results of the probabilistic analyses provide a basis for choosing the inspection intervals for FCBs.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierHartung_colostate_0053N_13946.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/178902
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectfinite element analysis
dc.subjectpost-fracture redundancy
dc.subjectfatigue reliability
dc.subjectprobabilistic analysis
dc.subjectMonte Carlo simulation
dc.titleFatigue reliability and post-fracture residual capacity of a two-girder steel bridge
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineCivil and Environmental Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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