Risk Assessment Model for Wind-Induced Fatigue Failure of Cantilever Traffic Signal Structures

Details

• Creators:
  Letchford, Christopher ; Cruzado, Hector
• Corporate Creators:
  Texas Tech University. Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation
• Corporate Contributors:
  Texas. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation Office ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Cantilevers
  • Failure
  • Life cycle analysis
  • Prototype tests
  • Risk assessment
  • Traffic signals
  • Vibration
  • Vortex shedding
  • Wind
  • Wind tunnels
  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA/TX -07-4586-4
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Texas ; United States
• Edition:
  August 2003-October 2007
• Corporate Publisher:
  Texas Tech University. Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation
• Abstract:
  The wind-induced vibrations of the mast arm of cantilever traffic signal structures can lead to the fatigue failure of these structures. For this project, both full-scale and wind tunnel tests were conducted to study the behavior of the structures. Results of these experiments indicated that when the signals have backplates, vortex shedding can cause large-amplitude vibrations that may lead to fatigue failure. These results contradict what has been generally accepted by other researchers: that galloping is the main cause for the fatigue inducing vibrations and that vortex shedding is of no relevance in this type of structure. As a result of this research, a methodology to estimate the fatigue life of these structures was developed. Using the climatology of the region, the methodology was applied as a risk assessment model to traffic signal structures of the City of Lubbock. Guidance is given on how life-cycle cost analysis can be applied to the structures.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  0-4586
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/66522/dot_66522_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.46 MB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:a1a25e7c8d1647b66eaf66aa97d130df173fae272b7ef419218db58804fa4c7b