Seismic risk evaluation of RC bridge structures

In this work a probabilistic methodology, recently developed by Cornell and co-workers for seismic risk assessment of moment-resisting steel frames, is investigated for possible applications to RC bridge structures. The basic theory is first illustrated; it is characterized by a remarkably simple but accurate mathematical formulation and by a light computational effort to estimate the risk. A simple extension to account for uncertainties in the mechanical parameters is then proposed. The methodology is applied to an existing RC bridge. The study has confirmed the robustness of the methodology with respect to the simplifying assumptions on which it is based, in particular to the reduced number of accelerograms required for a stable and accurate estimate of risk, and demonstrates the applicability to the case of RC bridges. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.