The effects of significant corrosion loss on the strength and performance of riveted members has been examined by full scale tests on members removed from bridge structures. when cracks are initiated at a corrosion notched element, the fatigue tests have demonstrated that the corrosion notch effect can be as severe as category e of the aashto and area specifications. the results discussed here indicated that the thickness of the corroded riveted member must be reducedby about 50% before the corrosion notch becomes more severe than the rivet holes. the riveted member then provides a fatigue resistancecorresponding to category c. as the thickness reduction increased beyond 50%, the corrosion notch effect became more severe creating its own fatigue initiated detail. seldom did the resulting fatigue crack intersect a rivet hole. more often it propagated in the gross section of the riveted member. the ultimate strength tests on corrosion damaged hangers demonstrated that the hangers were able to resist maximum axial loads about equal to the tensile strength on the net section at the corroded area. hence, the use of an effective net areausing the combined corrosion reductions and the hole pattern permitted a reasonable estimate of the limit state. both hanger specimens failed in a ductile manner. the corroded region did not significantly reduce the ductility of the material. this paper appears in transportation research record no. 1290, third bridge engineering conference, march 10-13, 1991, denver, colorado, volume 1.
Abstract