NTL Record

Title Influence of Material Toughness on Fracture Reliability in Steel Bridge
Record ID 68843
Personal Name
Creator
Artmont, Frank A.; Murphy, Thomas; Sause, Richard; Bocchini, Paolo; Mertz, Dennis
Personal Name
Contributor
Kozy, Brian M.
Corporate Creator United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure
Corporate
Contributor
Modjeski and Masters; Lehigh University. ATLSS Engineering Research Center
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Infrastructure
Publication Date 20181001
Language English
Abstract The AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications do not explicitly include a quantifiable fracture limit state. Fracture control in steel bridges is currently based on mitigating potential fracture initiators through proper structural detailing and specifying minimum impact toughness for base material. This fracture control approach has been successful in minimizing the number of fractures in steel bridges designed since its inception; however, the structural reliability against brittle fracture has not been previously established. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to quantify the relationship between material toughness and fracture reliability in steel bridge members, considering the probabilistic distribution of fracture toughness and applied stress for a variety of structural steels and assumed crack sizes. The master curve approach is used to account for the probabilistic distribution of fracture toughness, and reliabilities are determined using Monte Carlo simulation and the Hasofer-Lind approach. The results indicate that the fracture reliability for modern bridge steels is consistent with the reliability of AASHTO strength limit states, and that certain steels currently available on the market can provide enough reliability against fracture to essentially eliminate brittle fracture as a limit state of concern.
Public Note Work funded by Cooperative Agreement “Advancing Steel and Concrete Bridge Technology to Improve Infrastructure Performance” between FHWA and Lehigh University. FHWA Technical Manager: Brian M. Kozy
Rosap ID dot:43555
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/43555
TRT Terms Steel bridges; Monte Carlo method; Fracture mechanics; Fracture properties; Mechanical fatigue
General Subjects Steel Bridges; Fatigue; Fracture; Reliability; Monte Carlo Simulation
Geographical
Coverage
United States
TRIS Online
Accession No
1715484
Contract Number DTFH61-11-H-00027
Report Number FHWA-HIF-18-047
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/68000/68800/68843/FHWA-HIF-18-047.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository