Fatigue Notch Factor in Steel Due to Corrosion

Steel bridges are susceptible to pitting corrosion when subjected to several environments. The pits which result from pitting corrosion can be dangerous because they extend into the metal, showing little external evidence of their existence, and are usually confined to a point or small area. In practice , any fating life assessment must include an understanding of the effects of notch geometry and the associated stress field on both the crack formation and subsequent propagation phase of life. The main aspects that are associate with stress concentration created by corrosion are reviewed and separate functions are produced for fatigue notch factor in terms of average corrosion penetration and exposure time. In particular , the relation of fatigue notch factor in terms of exposure time gives a direct , accurate, and quantifiable assessment of corroded members and it needs only time of weathering . Finally the fatigue notch factors of corroded steelwork compared with the fatigue notch factor of various classes of structural detail as classified in BS5400 , the UK code requirements for fatigue.

Keywords:

Fatigue notch , Corrosion , Fatigue life , Exposure time