ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Mater.
Sec. Mechanics of Materials
Research on High-Cycle Fatigue Life of Pontoon Bridge Connection Joints Using Improved Stress Field Intensity Method
- XD
Xiaolong Du 1
- HW
Haiyuan Wang 1
- WX
Wenjun Xin 1
- LL
Lanxing Li 1
- ZS
Zhongfeng Shi 1
- JC
Jiansheng Cheng 2
- RL
Richeng Liu 3
- WH
Wei Han 1
1. Training Base, Army Engineering University of PLA, Nanjing, China
2. College of Field Engineering, Army Engineering University of PLA, Nanjing, China
3. State Key Laboratory of Intelligent Construction and Healthy Operation and Maintenance of Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, China
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Abstract
Based on the fatigue life data of 30CrMnSiA steel and fatigue tests of pontoon bridge connecting joints, this study improves the stress field intensity approach. In the absence of fatigue life data for smooth specimens, a method for determining the spherical center of the fatigue damage zone in standard notched specimens was established by combining fatigue tests. Consequently, a general method for calculating the stress field intensity radius, applicable to 30CrMnSiA standard notched specimens with arbitrary stress concentration factors, was derived and applied to the pontoon bridge connecting joint, providing a generalizable framework for calculating the field intensity radius of notched components. Subsequently, the stress field intensity of the joint was calculated using ANSYS Workbench software. Factors influencing structural fatigue life, such as size and surface condition, were incorporated, and the model was calibrated based on experimental results to predict the fatigue life of the pontoon bridge connecting joints. The results show that the improved stress field intensity method, which does not require fatigue life data of smooth specimens, significantly extends the applicability of the original approach. The minimum clearance between the single lug and the double lugs in the pontoon bridge connecting joints has a pronounced influence on the location of fatigue failure and the fatigue life of the joints. Under stress-controlled fatigue conditions, the location of the spherical center of the fatigue damage zone in the notched joint can be predicted using the maximum stress amplitude, and the predictions are in good agreement with experimental results, demonstrating high practical value. The predicted high-cycle fatigue life of the pontoon bridge connecting joints in the range of 10⁴-10⁵ cycles obtained using this method shows high accuracy, with errors within 10%. This research provides a practical and feasible scheme for the fatigue life assessment of single-lug and yoke joints.
Summary
Keywords
Failure position, Fatigue life prediction, improved stress field intensity method, pontoon bridge connecting joint, Stress field intensity
Received
12 April 2026
Accepted
11 June 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Du, Wang, Xin, Li, Shi, Cheng, Liu and Han. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Wei Han
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