Study of a fatigue load model for highway bridges in Southeast China

Abstract

Although fatigue damage has become one of the main causes of structural damage to bridges, standard vehicle models for highway bridge fatigue design have not as yet been determined in China. Relying on the WIM system, load data were collected for different types of vehicles from six provinces in Southeast China. The Miner’s criterion for cumulative fatigue damage, and the equivalent stress amplitude criterion, were adopted for calculating the equivalent axle load, the equivalent wheelbase, and the fatigue damage contribution ratio. The fatigue load spectrum, including five equivalent vehicle models, was identified.