Application of Bridge Weigh-in-Motion measurements in assessment of existing road bridges

Application of current European standards (Eurocode) for the design of new bridges in assessment of existing ones proved non-efficient due to conservative assumptions regarding applied load and subsequent response of these bridges. That is why decisions regarding existing bridges should be based on probabilistic approach, combining advanced methods of analysis with real values and data gathered with on-site measurement and laboratory testing. These types of data are gathered trough Structural Health Monitoring tools as it allows us to observe and record various data over a period of time in order to estimate bridge current condition and to track eventual changes in its behavior. Bridge Weigh-in-Motion measurements, as a part of structural health monitoring of existing bridges, provide us with detailed information regarding volume and weight of traffic on the bridge, while also tracking its structural response. Site specific load models for examined bridges can be developed from collected traffic data, using various extrapolation methods. Simple and fast, and yet precise method of traffic data processing is presented in first part of this paper, while its application, along with bridge structural response data, in optimized bridge assessment is presented in the second part of the paper.