Modèle de chaînes de Markov pour l'étude de la fissuration par fatigue des assemblages soudés de ponts

ABSTRACT A probabilistic method for assessing the fatigue damage of welded joints in highway bridges is presented. The proposed method is based on a Markov chain approach. This method provides a better knowledge of damage kinetics in comparison of classical approaches based on the structural reliability concepts. In return, it does not require sophisticated techniques from stochastic calculus for integrating stochastic differential equations. This approach can be easily modified to take into account the influence of nondestructive testing techniques for the evaluation of a joint reliability. The method is applied to the study of a typical stiffener/flange welded joint of a composite bridge.