New project on UNP capabilities – Application on bridges

Steel welded bridges are subject to fatigue failure, Ultrasonic Needle Peening is probably the most suitable process to improve the fatigue life of new or in service bridges. In partnership with the Bowen Lab of Purdue University (Indiana, USA), SONATS and EMPOWERING TECHNLOGIES began a project to demonstrate the capability of UNP process on full scale girder specimens.

Manufactured and tested specimens represent similar geometries and details of typical North American bridges.

The objective of this study is to prove that the UNP can improve the fatigue category for different locations on bridges as:

• « Cover plates » from «  E’ category» to « C »  according to AASHTO recommendation,
• « Transverse Stiffners » from « C’ category» to « B »   according to AASHTO recommendation.

For these reached categories, the detail life time is considered as infinite with regard to fatigue.

• Ultrasonic Needle Peening/HFMI Process treatment on full scale girder
• Large capacity facility for testing fatigue life enhancement of structures treated with SONATS HFMI process

In collaboration with PURDUE UNIVERSITY and SONATS