Fatigue tests on aluminium bridges

[摘要] Traffic bridges are subjected to variable loads and should therefore be checked on fatigue. Especially low weight materials, like aluminium, are sensitive to fatigue, because the variable load is a substantial part of the total load. This paper shows the structural design of an aluminium bridge loaded by heavy traffic. The S-N curves of a welded detail that is often applied in the deck of aluminium bridges were determined by testing and the test results were compared to the standard S-N curve prescribed by standard prEN 1999-1-3 (1). Additional tests were carried out in which the passage of vehicles was simulated on a model of the entire bridge, in order to obtain a better approximation of the real fatigue load on the bridge. The fatigue lifetimes resulting from these tests are compared to the arithmetical lifetimes, determined by using the S-N curve and Miners`s summation.The paper shows that aluminium is suitable as structural material for heavily loaded bridges.

[学科分类] 建筑学

[关键词] Design;fatigue;tests;aluminium;bridges