The effect of local vibrations on fatigue in old steel riveted bridges. A case study: the Manhattan Bridge

The present study is devoted to the effect on fatigue of vibrations induced by the train transit in an old railway steel bridge (the Manhattan Bridge in New York). It is shown how local vibrations can influence the crack growth and the remaining fatigue life of the bridge. A finite element model of the bridge is built and calibrated making use of available dynamic experimental data. Then, the actual fatigue loading spectrum is evaluated taking the actual traffic flows into account. Train transits on the bridge are simulated in order to find the structural elements where local vibrations can be significant. After having identified the members potentially subject to local vibrations, a substructure finite element model is studied for the detail. Starting from the stresses obtained in the detailed FE model, the crack growth is studied using Paris's relationship.