Integrating a verified vehicle-bridge system model into fatigue assessment of steel railway bridge

Effectively evaluating the fatigue behavior of aging bridge structures is an urgent task for engineers and researchers, as more and more existing bridges approach the end of their service life. Determining the fatigue load effects due to moving trains is a key aspect of the available assessment frameworks (e.g., the S-N approach). In this paper, a vehicle-bridge system model is integrated into the fatigue assessment procedure employing S-N lines. The system model is used to obtain fatigue stresses generated by moving train loads. The integration is proven able to aid in effective prediction of fatigue damage and remaining fatigue life of railway bridges.