United States Department of Transportation
i
Improving the Manufacturability of Extended Cut-Out Rib-to-Floor Beam Connections for Orthotropic Steel Decks
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2024-12-01
[PDF-6.05 MB]
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Edition:Final Report
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Abstract:During a full-scale fatigue test program at Lehigh University performed in 2018, the fatigue performance of a prototype orthotropic steel deck (OSD) with extended cut-out (EC) rib-to-floor beam (RFB) connections with partial joint penetration (PJP) welds and reinforcing fillet welds which wrap-around at the weld termination was investigated. The full-scale prototype OSD test specimen featured EC RFB connections without internal stiffeners which greatly improves the overall manufacturability of the OSD. The full-scale prototype OSD test specimen was subjected to 8 million cycles of fatigue limit state loading for OSDs. No fatigue cracks were observed at the RFB connections demonstrating that the deck could achieve its intended 100-year service life. This promising result shows that OSDs with simplified EC RFB connection details can exhibit adequate fatigue performance. This research explored the conditions under which adequate fatigue performance using this cost-effective EC RFB connection can be expected when used for typical bridge redecking applications. This was accomplished by assessing the sensitivity of the magnitude of critical stresses to a range of global and local parameters using 3D finite element analysis (FEA). A FEA model of the successful full-scale prototype OSD test specimen served as the basis for validation of the results. The FEA model was calibrated using the data measured during static load tests. This calibrated 3D model was then used to assess the sensitivity to various OSD parameters, including deck plate thickness, transverse support stiffness, rib shape, cut-out shape, and cut-out depth. The results of the study indicate that this cost-effective EC RFB connection detail is a promising candidate for future redecking OSD applications. A deck plate thickness of 3/4 inch is suggested. Ribs with a trapezoidal crosssection appear to exhibit better performance than ribs with a round bottom. Adequate fatigue performance can be expected with various cut-out shapes. The design engineer may consider this prototype OSD as the basis for a Level 1 OSD design approach for a replacement bridge deck if: (1) the global and local details are similar to the tested prototype OSD; (2) the fabrication workmanship meets or exceeds that of the tested OSD; and (3) the wraparound fillet weld at the cut-out has weld face angles greater than or equal to that of the tested OSD. The favorable results of full-scale testing and sensitivity studies presented in this report suggest a reduced need for a Level 3 OSD design. Use of these simplified OSD RFB connection details can increase the manufacturability of the deck and promote the use of OSD in the United States.
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