Evaluation of Cracking in the Rib-to-Deck Welds of the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge

Abstract

A new steel orthotropic deck was installed on the Bronx–Whitestone Bridge (BWB) between 2005 and 2006. In May 2007, longitudinal cracks were found by visual inspections underneath the deck plate in the rib-to-deck welds and have continued to occur. As of 2014, these rib-to-deck weld cracks have required weld repair of approximately 305 m (1,000 ft) of the 65,374 m (214,480 ft) of rib welds in the new orthotropic deck. Detectable cracks have occurred randomly in 66 of the 408 shop-fabricated deck panels. This paper’s focus is on modeling the crack propagation of the defective welds with fabrication-related hot cracks so that estimates of the possible cracking from these fabrication defects can be predicted. Creation of this model also involved considering truck traffic using the structure and the wheel paths along with the supporting ribs most likely to experience stress cycles during service.