Simplified, Generic Inspection Planning for Steel Structures

Publication SF01_1

Authors

John D.Sørensen and Michael H. Faber

Abstract

A simplified and practically applicable approach for risk-based inspection planning of fatigue sensitive structural details in steel structures is presented. The fatigue sensitive details are categorized according to their Fatigue Design Factor (FDF) and SN curve. When a measure of the structural consequences of fatigue failure and the corresponding probability of total structural failure given fatigue failure of the considered detail are known, it is possible to formulate a generic description of fatigue sensitive structural details and next to develop pre-made inspection plans in tables which depend on relative cost of inspections, repairs and failures. Such plans are derived for welded transverse stiff-eners.

Published in/by

Special issue of the ASCE/SEI Journal, Life-Cycle Cost Analysis and Design of Civil Infrastructure Systems, eds. D.M. Frangopol and H. Fututa, ASCE, Reston, Virginia, July 2001, ISBN 0-7844-0571-9, pp. 271-288.