Fatigue Behavior of 2-Year Weathered A588 Steel Specimens with Stiffeners and Attachments

摘要

The effect of a 2-year weathering period on the fatigue strength of A588 steel specimens with transverse stiffeners and attachments was determined experimentally. Two years of continuous weathering, prior to stress cycling to failure, reduced the fatigue life of the specimens with stiffeners and attachments by 19 and 6 percent, respectively, as compared to their nonweathered counterparts. Two years of alternating between 6-month weathering and one-quarter-life stress cycling had no significant effect on the fatigue life. None of the weathered specimen data of the present and previous studies fell below the corresponding AASHTO allowable fatigue limits. Provided that a detail is designed for over two million cycles, current information on the effects of weathering give no cause for immediate concern relative to bridges in service.