eprintid: 6513
rev_number: 4
userid: 6
dir: disk0/00/00/65/13
datestamp: 2011-11-10 19:32:32
lastmod: 2016-11-15 13:37:14
status_changed: 2011-11-10 19:32:32
type: thesis_degree
metadata_visibility: show
contact_email: jak52@pitt.edu
item_issues_count: 0
eprint_status: archive
creators_name: Kacin, Jennifer Ann
creators_email: jak52@pitt.edu
creators_id: JAK52
title: Fatigue Life Estimation of a Highway Sign Structure
ispublished: unpub
divisions: sch_eng_civilenvironmental
full_text_status: public
keywords: sign structure modeling; stress-life
abstract: Sign structures stand along every highway and interstate across the country in order to guide motorists to their destination. Such structures are repeatedly subjected to natural wind gusts and gusts from vehicles passing underneath. Over time, the members within the structure may begin to succumb to fatigue due to this cyclical loading, in the form of cracks in the members and in the connections. The goal of this project is to determine the fatigue life of an overhead four-chord truss sign structure located in Pennsylvania in both a damaged and undamaged state. A finite element model of the structure was made using commercial software and a time varying natural wind load was applied to it. The stress history of critical elements was then extracted from the model's solution. Complete stress cycles were counted and then a linear damage accumulation method was used in order to find the fatigue life in the critical members. The non-damaged structure's critical members were found to have an infinite fatigue, as were the damaged structure's critical members. Despite this, members with welded connections should still be closely monitored during inspection because they have the highest potential for failure.
date: 2009-06-29
date_type: completed
institution: University of Pittsburgh
refereed: TRUE
etdcommittee_type: committee_chair
etdcommittee_type: committee_member
etdcommittee_type: committee_member
etdcommittee_name: Rizzo, Piervincenzo
etdcommittee_name: Brigham, John
etdcommittee_name: Harries, Kent A.
etdcommittee_email: pir3@pitt.edu
etdcommittee_email: brigham@pitt.edu
etdcommittee_email: kharries@engr.pitt.edu
etdcommittee_id: PIR3
etdcommittee_id: BRIGHAM
etdcommittee_id: KHARRIES
etd_defense_date: 2009-02-24
etd_approval_date: 2009-06-29
etd_submission_date: 2009-03-16
etd_access_restriction: immediate
etd_patent_pending: FALSE
assigned_doi: doi:10.5195/pitt.etd.2011.6513
thesis_type: thesis
degree: MSCE
committee: Piervincenzo Rizzo (pir3@pitt.edu) - Committee Chair
committee: John Brigham (brigham@pitt.edu) - Committee Member
committee: Kent A Harries (kharries@engr.pitt.edu) - Committee Member
etdurn: etd-03162009-132250
other_id: http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-03162009-132250/
other_id: etd-03162009-132250
citation:   Kacin, Jennifer Ann  (2009) Fatigue Life Estimation of a Highway Sign Structure.  Master's Thesis, University of Pittsburgh.    (Unpublished)  
document_url: http://d-scholarship-dev.library.pitt.edu/6513/1/Kacin_pittetd2009.pdf