Investigation into the Accumulated Fatigue Damage in Riveted Connections in Steel Bridges using Advanced Numerical Techniques

Fatigue in traditional riveted steel bridges is being observed at increasing frequency due to an increase in both the volume and mass of expected traffic. The financial ramifications of retrofitting, repairing and insuring bridges from this damage is vast, and many rail networks suffer from inadequate funding to address these issues. In the financial year 2019-2020 it was estimated that the cost of maintenance on the British rail network was £1.488 billion, and arguments for safety and sustainability can also be emphasised because of this form of damage. With comparable increases in volume and frequency of rail traffic, it is not inconceivable to see comparable damage occurring in contemporary infrastructure soon. This paper investigates the validity of using traditional numerical techniques to model a complex system of rivets and structural members, with the future aim of utilising the more advanced eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) to analyse the mechanism behind fatigue propagation in the riveted connections of steel rail bridges, addressing the effect of loading conditions and rivet geometry on crack nucleation, propagation, and failure.