Fatigue analysis of precast girder webs in railway bridge decks

Abstract

In this paper, a new methodology which was recently developed for fatigue analyses of precast girder webs in railway bridge decks (considering the combined effect of in-plane shear and transverse bending) is applied to the analysis of a real railway bridge deck constructed with precast beams. Fatigue lives are determined by means of the damage accumulation method, which makes possible the analysis of resonance effects associated to high-speed railway traffic. The main specificity of the employed methodology lies on the algorithm for calculation of stress histories in the stirrups steel and in the concrete struts. Illustrative results from the analysis of the real structure are presented and discussed.