ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: This paper presents an accurate and computationally efficient method for the fatigue assessment of bridge details using Fracture Mechanics and numerical simulation of fatigue cracks propagation. The local time-history data needed for the fatigue damage assessment is generated using the new concept of modal stress intensity factors and the modal superposition method. The proposed procedure is applied to a complex problem, the bridge of the new railway crossing of river Sado, for which experimental data concerning both traffic and bridge local response are available. It is demonstrated that the modal stress intensity factors computation can be embedded in a long term monitoring system, allowing the real time assessment of fatigue cracks propagation.
