Effects of residual stresses on the fatigue crack propagation of an orthotropic steel bridge deck

Orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) are susceptible to fatigue failure due to cyclic loading by heavy traffic passing the deck. These cyclic loads can cause fatigue cracks in the rib-to-deck joint. In and around the joint residual stresses are present due to the welding process. In this thesis, the effects of residual stresses on the fatigue crack...