• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.843-853
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• 2022

The fatigue behavior of welded open rib-to crossbeam joints (ORCJ) in orthotropic bridge structures is investigated using a traction structural stress method. The fatigue behaviors of welded open rib-to crossbeam joints have been a subject of study for decades for ensuring operational safety and future design improvement. A mesh-insensitive combination of traction structural stresses in ORCJ was obtained considering the effect of in-plane shear stress and validated by fatigue test results. The proposed method is advantageous for predicting fatigue cracks that initiate from the crossbeam cutout and propagate along the crossbeam. The investigations carried out with the proposed approach reveal that the normal structural stress decreases with the propagation of fatigue cracks, while the ratio of shear stress to normal stress increases. The effect of shear structural stress is significant for the analysis of fatigue behavior of ORCJ in multiaxial stress states.