Numerical simulation of orthotropic steel deck bridges with two membrane layers systems

The finite element system CAPA-3D was utilized as the numerical simulation platform, two structural FE models of orthotropic steel bridge decks were set up, the static and dynamic FE simulations under different loading conditions were carried out, the special attention was given to identify the critical wheel load location, and the maximum tensile stress distribution and the variation of strain rate inside membrane layers. Simulation result shows that the FE models are capable of simulating the realistic behavior of orthotropic steel bridge. The distributions of strains and stresses inside the surfacing materials depend highly on wheel load level, wheel load frequency, wheel position, membrane bonding strength as well as the thicknesses and characteristics of surfacing layers. The maximum tensile stress of membrane layers is found around 0.4 MPa, which coincides with the minimum requirement for the adhesive bonding strength of membrane material proposed by the standards NF P98-282 and TP-BEL-B. The maximum membrane strain rate is found around 0.1, which is an important information that can be utilized for the characterization of membrane products.