Citation

Cicci F, Csagoly P. Transp. Res. Rec. 1974; 507: 26-44.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1974, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

To assess the fatigue life of welded, cover-plated steel girders, strain gauges were placed in critical locations on the superstructure of the Leslie Street overpass on the Toronto Bypass. Data were gathered for 200 hours in 12-hour continuous tape recording sessions. Analysis of the data revealed that normal traffic caused a live-load stress peak of 4,000 psi (2757 MPa) only once in 10 hours, which is less than 50 percent design live-load stress. Stress data gathered by various agencies during the past few years seem to indicate that either design stress does not occur at all or it occurs with such a low frequency that the development of any fatigue situation is precluded. The phenomenon is associated with the low probability of the simultaneous, multiple presence of loaded commercial vehicles on a structure. The problem is therefore statistical in nature. Its recognition appears to be in conflict with the prevailing concept used in fatigue consideration of highway bridges.

Language: en