ABSTRACT
The technique of drilling stop holes in fillet weld of orthotropic steel bridge decks to arrest fatigue cracking was studied. The stress distribution characteristics at the crack tips were analyzed according to the compact tension model and the local bending model. The variation of stress concentration and gradient were compared to obtain the stress characteristics before and after drilling the holes. Fatigue tests of specimens were also conducted to verify the effects of stop holes. The results shows that drilling a stop hole at the tip of the cracks decreased the stress concentration without changing stress distribution trends while the mean stress of the cracking section increased. The largest stress around the hole appeared at the extending direction of the original crack, which was also the re-cracking position. Stop holes delayed the crack propagation but with no effects on the crack propagation rate of re-cracking.
