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Fatigue and Fracture Behaviour of Long Term Operated Bridge Materials and Components

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Degradation Theory of Long Term Operated Materials and Structures

Abstract

This book chapter intends to provide a fatigue database for some representative materials of old Portuguese metallic bridges (Eiffel, Luiz I, Fão, Pinhão and Trezói). Puddle irons and structural steels are covered, depending of construction year of the bridge. Besides the base materials, also S–N fatigue data of riveted joints made of original rivets or new rivets are presented, but in any case using original plates. As regards the materials characterization, S–N fatigue data obtained using smooth specimens is presented; also, fatigue crack propagation data obtained using CT specimens is presented. The monotonic tensile properties are also characterized as well as the microstructures. S–N fatigue data for riveted joints was also presented and compared with existing literature data, including existing design curves. This comparison shows some data falling below the design S–N curves that corroborates the presence of cracks originated by the prior operation of the bridge or material degradation. Regarding the strain-life behaviour of the materials investigated, the number of transition reversals decreases with increasing age of the materials. Only the material from the Trezói bridge shows a transition life typical of low carbon steels. The fatigue crack propagation tests showed that Paris law gives a good description of the fatigue crack growth data with an exponent always greater than 3. The C coefficient was in same range of that recommended in literature for modern construction steels.

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Correspondence to Grzegorz Lesiuk .

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Lesiuk, G., Correia, J.A., Krechkovska, H.V., Pekalski, G., Jesus, A.M.d., Student, O. (2021). Fatigue and Fracture Behaviour of Long Term Operated Bridge Materials and Components. In: Degradation Theory of Long Term Operated Materials and Structures. Structural Integrity, vol 15. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43710-7_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-43710-7_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-43709-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-43710-7

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