Time-dependent interaction between load rating and reliability of deteriorating bridges

Abstract Prioritization and allocation of federal funds for nationwide bridge replacements and rehabilitations are based on ratings listed in the National Bridge Inventory database. Distribution of funds is based on the sufficiency rating, represented by a formula considering structural safety, functional obsolescence, and essentiality for public use. Possessing the highest weight in sufficiency rating formula, load rating is a crucial measure for bridge management. While load rating represents the current practice in bridge evaluation, reliability methods, taking into account live load increase and material deterioration models, are more commonly used for lifetime bridge assessment. In this paper, time-dependent relationship between the reliability-based analysis results, representing the future trend in bridge evaluation, and the load ratings is investigated for different types of bridges located within an existing bridge network. The comparisons between live load rating factors and reliability indices are made over the lifetime of each bridge in the network. The rating–reliability profile and rating–reliability interaction envelope concepts are introduced. Furthermore, the rating–reliability profiles are collectively examined in order to evaluate the time-dependent performance of the overall bridge network.

[1]  P Albrecht,et al.  Composite Modeling of Atmospheric Corrosion Penetration Data , 1994 .

[2]  Zdenek P. Bazant,et al.  PHYSICAL MODEL FOR STEEL CORROSION IN CONCRETE SEA STRUCTURES­ THEORY , 1979 .

[3]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  BRIDGE RATING AND RELIABILITY CORRELATION: COMPREHENSIVE STUDY FOR DIFFERENT BRIDGE TYPES , 2004 .

[4]  Pd Cady,et al.  Predicting Service Life of Concrete Bridge Decks Subject to Reinforcement Corrosion , 1992 .

[5]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  Computational Platform for Predicting Lifetime System Reliability Profiles for Different Structure Types in a Network , 2004 .

[6]  Narendra Taly.  Design of Modern Highway Bridges , 1997 .

[7]  Bryan E. Little,et al.  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Highway Drainage Guidelines American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. LRFD Bridge Design Specifications , 2000 .

[8]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  Rating and Reliability of Existing Bridges in a Network , 2003 .

[9]  H. E. Townsend,et al.  Eight-year atmospheric corrosion performance of weathering steel in industrial, rural, and marine environments. Discussion. Author's closure , 1982 .

[10]  Sebastián Feliu,et al.  Long-term atmospheric corrosion in spain: Results after 13-16 years of exposure and comparison with worldwide data , 1995 .

[11]  Bruce R. Ellingwood,et al.  Reliability-Based Service-Life Assessment of Aging Concrete Structures , 1993 .

[12]  Mda Thomas,et al.  TESTING THE CHLORIDE PENETRATION RESISTANCE OF CONCRETE: A LITERATURE REVIEW , 1997 .

[13]  Pedro Albrecht,et al.  Performance of weathering steel in bridges , 1984 .