Fatigue assessment of a steel truss bridge based on multi-dimensional finite element modelling

This paper presents a multidimensional finite element modelling approach for the fatigue assessment of welded railway bridges based on a case study of a railway bridge in Belgium. The nominal stress approach of Eurocode 3 is compared to a hot spot stress based fatigue life calculation for the standardized fatigue load models for railway traffic. Hot spot stresses are calculated with an in-house developed framework that allows automated determination of hot spot stresses. It is discussed how this work can fit in a larger decision support system in the scope of structural health monitoring. The presented approach proves to be better for decision support compared to the conventional approach in the Eurocode