Increased economic and environmental sustainability by employing postweldtreatment in steel structure design,

Forskningsprojekt, 2026 – 2028

The transport networks in Europe face challenges from increasing traffic volumes and degradation of bridges which highlights the need for smart solutions. The aim of this project is to investigate the potential the High-Frequency Mechanical Impact (HFMI) treatment has for application on new or existing bridges through some literature study, experimental and analytical work. The main goal is to update the current available guidelines by covering more types of bridge weldments. Based on this, the following objectives are identified:

1. Extending the application of HFMI treatment to some weldments that has been rarely – or never- studied before such as orthotropic decks and cover plates.
2. Updating the available design guidelines and practical recommendations to cover realistic loading conditions.
3. Studying the potential of HFMI treatment in optimizing steel and composite bridges.
4. Investigating the applicability of HFMI treatment on new and existing bridges.

The results expected based on the activities described in the application are:
1. Fatigue test data: valuable data on the fatigue strength of HFMI treated weldments (orthotropic decks and cover plates) will be available. In addition, more data will be generated for fatigue testing under multi-direction loading.
2. Updated and expanded design guidelines to include the findings of this research regarding loading conditions and fatigue strength of the tested weldments.
3. Several scientific publications including conference and journal articles are expected to communicate and report the gained knowledge. This will facilitate integrating the results in the upcoming Eurocode.
4. Evaluating material and cost savings via HFMI treatment based on case studies conduced on highway and railway bridges.
5. Practical guidelines and technical specifications that need to be considered before, during and after treatment.

Relevance to:
1. Scientific community: insights including test data will be provided in the form of articles published in journals, and technical reports.
2. Bridge owners: practical and design guidelines will be provided, and more flexible bridge design alternatives will be available.
3. Society: societies will benefit indirectly as the bridges life expectancy will increase, cost will be reduced, traffic disruptions will be shortened.
4. Structural engineers: the work provides solutions for more optimized and durable design.
5. COWI: The research strengthens the collaboration with Chalmers university and increases our expertise in bridge engineering. Besides, the collected knowledge will be internally disseminated via presentations.