Effect of crack-closure treatment on fatigue durability of cracked rib-to-deck welded joints in steel bridge decks

To evaluate the effect of treating long cracks with the impact crack-closure retrofit(ICR)technique,three rib-to-deck welded specimens with a crack length of about 100 mm were tested.The metallographic structure,crack section,crack propagation life,and stress variation were analyzed.Finite-element models were also developed,and some optimal values of certain parameters are suggested according to the simulated results.The results show that new crack sources are generated on both sides of the ICR-treated region because of the stress distribution.The fatigue lives of cracked specimens with long cracks are significantly improved by the technique.Considerable residual compressive stress is also induced,and so it is suggested that the optimal impact angle to be applied to real bridges should be 70°.The stress at the weld root is distributed uniformly with the crack closed,and the optimal crack-closure depth is 4 mm.To evaluate the effect of different crack-closure depths in tests,it is recommended that a hot-spot stress method which is extrapolated by three reference points should be adopted.

Lightweight Design of Commercial Vehicle Cab Based on Fatigue Durability

To better improve the lightweight and fatigue durability performance of the tractor cab,a multi-objective lightweight design of the cab was carried out in this study.First,the finite element model of the cab with counterweight loading was established and then confirmed by the physical testing,and use the inertial reliefmethod to obtain stress distribution under unit load.The cab-frame rigid-flexible couplingmulti-body dynamicsmodelwas built by Adams/car software.Taking the cab airbag mount displacement and acceleration signals acquired on the proving ground as the desired signals and obtaining the fatigue analysis load spectrum through Femfat-Lab virtual iteration.The fatigue simulation analysis is performed in nCode based on the Miner linear fatigue cumulative damage theory.Then,with themass and fatigue damage values as the optimization objectives,the bending-torsional stiffness and first-order bending-torsional mode as constraints,the thickness variables are screed based on the sensitivity analysis.The experimental design was carried out using the Optimal Latin hypercube method,and the multi-objective optimal design of the cab was carried out using theKriging approximationmodel fitting and particle swarmalgorithm.The weight of the optimized cab is reduced by 7.8%on the basis of meeting the fatigue durability performance.Finally,a seven-axis road simulation test rig was designed to verify its fatigue durability.The results show the optimized cab can consider both lightweight and durability.

Nonlinear dynamic analysis and fatigue damage assessment for a deepwater test string subjected to random loads

The deepwater test string is an important but vulnerable component in offshore petroleum exploration,and its durability significantly affects the success of deepwater test operations.Considering the influence of random waves and the interaction between the test string and the riser,a time-domain nonlinear dynamic model of a deepwater test string is developed.The stress-time history of the test string is obtained to study vibration mechanisms and fatigue development in the test string.Several recommendations for reducing damage are proposed.The results indicate that the amplitude of dynamic response when the string is subjected to random loads gradually decreases along the test string,and that the von Mises stress is higher in the string sections near the top of the test string and the flex joints.In addition,the fatigue damage fluctuates with the water depth,and the maximum damage occurs in string sections adjacent to the lower flex joint and in the splash zone.Several measures are proposed to improve the operational safety of deepwater test strings：applying greater top tension,operating in a favorable marine environment,managing the order of the test string joints,and performing nondestructive testing of components at vulnerable positions.