Reliability of corroded steel girder bridges

Steel girder bridges corrode due to environmental exposure. The result is a reduction in both the carrying capacity of a bridge and level of certainty concerning what the capacity may be. As a consequence, the level of safety diminishes with corrosion. A damage model is developed which evaluates the reliability of a corroded steel girder bridge over time. This model is used to evaluate the effects of bridge design and environment on safety. A sensitivity analysis is carried out to identify the most important parameters in corroded bridge safety.