Fatigue Assessment of Complex Riveted Connections: A study on old steel bridges using Advanced Finite Element Analysis

Numerous traffic bridges have been constructed over the last 150 years. Because bridges are commonly built based on an expected lifetime of 75 to 100 years, a large quantity of bridges are reaching the end of their design lifetime, or even are far overdue. To ensure these bridges remain operational without experiencing catastrophic failures,...

Effect of multipass welds and pores on residual stresses in butt-welded joints

Welding is a widely used process in various industries for joining materials, but it can introduce several complexities that affect the mechanical properties of the welded components. In particular, the presence of pores within the welded material can have significant implications for fatigue resistance, residual stresses, and overall structural...

Finite element analysis of the closed stiffener to crossbeam connection in OSDs using the hot spot stress approach

An Orthotropic Steel Deck (OSD) is suspectable to fatigue and this forms an important design criterium. In this research the rib-to-crossbeam connection with a cope hole is studied using Finite Element Methods (FEM). The fatigue assessment is performed with the hot spot stress method making use of surface stress extrapolation. Two fatigue cracks...

Structural integrity assessment of self-elevating units with fatigue and corrosion damage based on actual load history

Seafox owns and operates a fleet of 12 Jack-ups. The design life of these Jack-ups is typically around 30 years. However, some have remained operational after exceeding their design life. It is therefore critical to gain an understanding how long and under what conditions these jacks-ups are still able to operate safely. There are two main...