Distortion-induced fatigue cracking has occurred at hundreds of diaphragm-girder connections in multigirder steel bridges in Birmingham, Alabama, in recent years. Repairs have been ineffective in some cases. The goal of the reported research was an improved strategy for repair and maintenance of the bridges so that the potential for future cracking is minimized. The investigation included field measurements of distortion-induced stresses at connections, field measurements of the effects of removing diaphragms from two in-service bridges, structural evaluations and finite-element method analyses of typical bridge designs, and laboratory testing of bolted connections. The results indicate that interior diaphragms can be removed from many existing bridges without significant negative effects. A new bolted diaphragmgirder connection was designed, installed in the field, and tested. Tests confirmed that the new design performed better than the original design. Recommendations for maintaining the Birmingham bridges include removing unneeded diaphragms and repairing old connections with the new design at needed diaphragms.
Fatigue of Diaphragm-Girder Connections
Transportation Research Record
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board ; 1594 , 1 ; 34-41
1997-01-01
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
Fatigue of Diaphragm-Girder Connections
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