The real temperature distribution within 24 h of the main beam in a single-tower hybrid beam cable-stayed bridge is analysed according to its actual section and material parameters, as well as other factors of local atmospheric temperature, geographical environment, and solar intensity. The results show that the internal temperature distribution in the steel–concrete composite beam is uneven, and the temperature of the steel is higher than that at the surface of the concrete slab. Then, a finite element model of the whole bridge is established using the thermal–mechanical sequential coupling function in ABAQUS to acquire the structural response under the action of a 24-h temperature field. The results show that the vertical temperature gradients have a great influence on the longitudinal stress in the lower flange of the steel I-beam, with a maximum compressive stress of 11.9 MPa in the daytime and a maximum tensile stress of 13.36 MPa at midnight. The temperature rise leads to a downward deflection of the main span, and the maximum deflection occurs at the 1/4 main span. There was an obvious temperature gradient in the concrete slab, with a difference between the maximum and minimum value of 14 °C. Similarly, the longitudinal compressive stress of the concrete slab increases with increasing temperature in the daytime, but the peak time is obviously inconsistent with that of the steel beam.
Orthotropic steel deck (OSD) are widely used in steel bridges because of their many advantages, but the structures and stresses of OSD are complex and sensitive to fatigue. Based on the model test, the structural fatigue analysis of OSD is carried out by using the extended finite element method (XFEM) to understand and reveal the causes of fatigue detail cracks and the generation and propagation of fatigue cracks at the welding ends of diaphragms, U-ribs, and diaphragms, which are the main structural fatigue details of the deck. The results show that: the fatigue crack at the diaphragm opening is not caused by a single factor, but the horizontal relative displacement is the root-cause of the fatigue crack; the contribution of out-of-plane displacement to the fatigue crack is more significant than that of vertical displacement or in-plane stress, which often leads to the initiation and propagation of the fatigue crack; the crack-propagation direction is perpendicular to the contour of principal stress, and the crack propagates into the plate along the high-stress area in the horizontal direction, which is in accordance with the basic theory of crack propagation. The research methods can provide technical support for the design of similar structures.
24 June 2023 in Theoretical and Applied Fracture Mechanics