Assessment of fatigue crack propagation and lifetime of double-sided U-rib welds considering welding residual stress relaxation

Welding residual stresses (WRS) impacts the fatigue life of welded steel bridges , but its relaxation is commonly overlooked in assessments. This study introduced a numerical simulation model to assess the effect of WRS relaxation on the fatigue crack propagation and lifetime of double-sided U-rib welds in orthotropic steel decks (OSD). Firstly, an initial distribution of WRS was determined using a thermal-mechanical finite element (FE) method. Then, a cracked FE model was employed to evaluate the crack propagation and lifetime under WRS and cyclic loading. Finally, the influence of initial crack parameters on the fatigue lifetime was studied. The results indicated that WRS notably alter the stress intensity…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 52408175, 52478453
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province

  Awards: 2024JJ6208, 2024JJ7131, 2023JJ50180
• CU
  Changsha University of Science and Technology

  Award: 22KF01
• SR
  Scientific Research Foundation of Hunan Provincial Education Department

  Awards: 24A0411, 22A0435, 24B0534, 23B0575