Abstract:The structural details of orthotropic steel deck are complex and the welding joints are widely used among the members. There is the great risk of fatigue cracking under the repeating vehicle loads. The fatigue tests are often considered as the most intuitive and effective means to study the fatigue properties of orthotropic steel deck. However, the limitation of fatigue test is great in the direct application into the engineering practice because of its long period and high cost. Therefore, based on the numerical simulation, the fatigue property evaluation methods of nominal stress method, structural hotspot stress method, local stress method and fracture mechanics method are proposed by many researchers. The principles and application scenarios of these evaluation methods are different. And each has its advantages, disadvantages and application conditions.