Determination crack growth direction in orthotropic steel bridge decks

Presents a part of numerical research work of the project Restlevensduur. The 2D numerical modeling of cracks in the orthotropic steel decks is described. The cracks are modeled with straight lines. Four cracking directions have been chosen for the analyses: perpendicular to the deck plate; parallel to the trough legs; and other two arbitrary directions. Several crack depths have been analyzed for each cracking direction. By performing a linear elastic analysis with the program DIANA, the stress intensity factors (SIF's) according to the fracture mechanics at the crack tips in the deck plate are obtained. By comparing the SIF's with each other, the main cracking direction in the deck plate is determined.