Fatigue assessment of MBJS

We did a project for Fatigue and Performance assessment of Modular Bridge Expansion Joint (MBJS) according to requirements of American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and NCHRP 402,467 (National Cooperative Highway Research Program) guidelines. The test was witnessed by customer and related parties; Kuwait Municipality, MPW, Louise Berger Group Inc (consultant) and China Harbour Engineering Company. The MBJS is placed in bridge decks to accommodate relative movement between superstructure segments of the bridges and movement between superstructures as a result of daily thermal expansion and contraction and earthquake. The MBJS is required to satisfy two groups of physical test; Fatigue and Performance. While fatigue test is aimed to assess the fatigue category of each detail in the MBJS, the performance test is aimed to assess the function of the MBJS throughout the required service lifetime. The OMV test is a test to evaluate the ability of the MBJS to withstand the repeated movement of the bridge superstructure while being subjected to a simulated traffic load due to daily thermal expansion and contraction of the superstructure. The test is performed by opening and closing the expansion joint with an actuator while traffic loads are simultaneously simulated by attaching a powerful pneumatic vibrator to one of the center beams. This test was specific to the evaluation of the performance and function of the specimen to be equivalent to approximately 75 years of service. The SPO test is a test to evaluate the seal resistance to detachment and rate effectiveness of the seal to resist vertical load. This test is to be performed after OMV test. In addition, water tightness is another necessary function of the MBJS which is required to be performed during OMV after 25 years equivalent.