Abstract Summary
Vibration induced by the train passing causes the stress fluctuation of structural element, which makes it essential to investigate the train-induced fatigue damage of the railway bridge structure. This paper proposes a method for fatigue damage assessment of the rail-way steel truss bridge based on a finite element model, and evaluate the fatigue damage dis-tribution in the bridge structure. This method adopts the rain-flow counting algorithm, the Palmgren-Miner rule, and recommended S-N relationship for steel from the EuroCode to estimate the linear accumulation of fatigue damage. The fatigue damage assessment of the railway steel truss bridge is investigated through a case study of Åby Bridge with a main span of 33m, which is over Åby River in northern Sweden. In order to conduct the dynamic analysis of this bridge structure subjected to moving load, a finite element model which is verified by in-situ measurements is established. Stress time-histories of main structural members obtained from the train-induced dynamic analysis are used to evaluate the fatigue damage distribution and damage degree. Furthermore, the influence of train speed on fa-tigue damage distribution and damage degree of this steel truss bridge is investigated. The results show that the train speed has a significant effect on the fatigue damage distribution and damage degree of this steel truss bridge.
