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S-BRITE
Steel Bridge Research, Inspection, Training, and Engineering Center

Design of Steel Bridges for Fatigue & Fracture

This two-day course will focus on fatigue and fracture from the point of view of individuals performing fatigue analysis for the design of new bridges and evaluation and retrofit of existing bridges. Guidance on when and why to select a specific type of non-destructive testing (NDT) will also be discussed. In addition, effective and ineffective retrofit strategies for steel bridges will be presented. Other topics include history of the development of the current AASHTO fatigue provisions, cycle counting and stress-range concepts, loading for design vs. evaluation, detail classification, constraint-induced fracture (CIF), the AASHTO/AWS Fracture Control Plan (FCP), fatigue damage calculation, repair and retrofit, an introduction to NDT, and the newly introduced NSTM, SRM, and IRM terms. The course will utilize several cases studies for illustrative purposes.

Learning Objectives 

  • Demonstration of the principles of the design of steel structures for fatigue and fracture
  • Understanding of the role of residual stresses and member flaws contributing to fatigue and fracture failure
  • Working knowledge of methods used for cycle counting and concepts related to the stress range
  • A gathering of the progression of the AASHTO fatigue provisions from the 1960’s to the present day
  • Understanding of the AAHSTO load model for fatigue design
  • Ability to work through examples of fatigue design for primary stresses, or load-induced fatigue
  • Introduction and conception of the AASHTO fatigue details—how to recognize the different details and what their constant amplitude fatigue thresholds are
  • Introduction into basic fracture mechanics
  • Understanding of the different special cases related to fatigue and fracture in steel bridges and structures
  • Working knowledge of structural fatigue analysis
  • Ability to recognize fatigue due to secondary stresses, or distortion-induced fatigue
  • Exposure to current cutting-edge research that is changing the way the industry perceives and designs for fatigue and fracture of steel bridges

Participants will receive hands-on experience with fatigued and fractured sections taken from service providing for a unique look into the fatigue & fracture design of steel bridges.

Course Instructors

Learn more about our instructors on the Our Team page. 

  • Dr. Robert Connor
  • Dr. Jason Lloyd
  • Tom Bradt
  • Charles Kieffer III

Time

  • At Purdue: 2-1/2 day course 
  • Out-of-state: 2-day course 

Registration Costs 

To Be Announced