Full-scale fatigue tests of steel orthotropic deck panel for the Bronx - Whitestone Bridge rehabilitation

A significant portion of the current rehabilitation of the Bronx - Whitestone Bridge includes replacement of the roadway decking on the suspended span with closed-rib, steel orthotropic deck panels. Prior to the final design and production of the replacement panels, a full-scale laboratory fatigue test of a prototype panel was conducted at Lehigh University. The panel incorporated a diaphragm cutout and welded rib-to-diaphragm connection detail that was improved and refined with the aid of finite element models and experience gained from research conducted on orthotropic deck panels in the 1990s. Evaluations were made of the behavior and fatigue resistance of the orthotropic deck system and connections. Static and dynamic tests provided information on the two types of diaphragm plate splices and two types of bolted rib splices, determined the effectiveness of the rib wall stiffeners, and permitted a verification of a finite element model.