Demonstration and examination of a procedure for successively improved structural assessment of concrete bridges

Document identifier: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-76752
Access full text here:10.1002/suco.201900265
Keyword: Engineering and Technology, Civil Engineering, Other Civil Engineering, Teknik och teknologier, Samhällsbyggnadsteknik, Annan samhällsbyggnadsteknik, Bridges, Codes, Multilevel assessment, Nonlinear finite element analysis, Prestressed concrete, Probabilistic analysis, Shear capacity, Structural safety, Byggkonstruktion, Structural Engineering
Publication year: 2020
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Abstract:

Assessing the load‐carrying capacity of existing bridges is an important infrastructure management task. In order to support the structural assessment of concrete bridges better, a procedure has been proposed, based on successively improving the bridge analysis. A multilevel strategy for structural analysis has been combined with concepts for verification of the desired safety margin, thus providing tools for engineers to model the structural behavior of bridges more accurately when necessary. This paper describes the procedure as applied to a prestressed concrete girder bridge, with use of experiences from the previous failure tests and associated evaluations of the bridge. Initial structural assessment indicated the critical failure mode to be due to shear in one of the girders; however, the enhanced analysis showed a complex failure involving both the girder and the bridge deck slab. Improving the structural analysis using nonlinear FE analysis for the loading initially identified as critical, increased the permitted axle loads on the bridge to 12 to 14 times those given by traditional and standardized assessment methods, depending on the concept used for safety verification. The model uncertainty was crucial for the verification of the structural safety and has to be properly taken into account. However, there are few recommendations, with regard to model uncertainties, on the application of nonlinear FE analysis, and detailed guidelines should be used for the modeling procedure in order to reduce analyst‐dependent variability in the results. The presented study demonstrates the applicability and the advantages of using the proposed procedure for successively improved analysis for bridge assessment.

Authors

Niklas Bagge

Luleå tekniska universitet; Byggkonstruktion och brand; Department of Bridge and Hydraulic Design, WSP Sverige AB, Gothenburg, Sweden
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    header: 
        identifier: oai:DiVA.org:ltu-76752
        datestamp: 2021-04-19T12:55:00Z
        setSpec: SwePub-ltu
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                version: 3.7
            recordInfo: 
                recordContentSource: ltu
                recordCreationDate: 2019-11-19
            identifier: 
                http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:ltu:diva-76752
                10.1002/suco.201900265
                2-s2.0-85074613291
            titleInfo: 
                @attributes: 
                    lang: eng
                title: Demonstration and examination of a procedure for successively improved structural assessment of concrete bridges
            abstract: 
Assessing the load‐carrying capacity of existing bridges is an important infrastructure management task. In order to support the structural assessment of concrete bridges better a procedure has been proposed based on successively improving the bridge analysis. A multilevel strategy for structural analysis has been combined with concepts for verification of the desired safety margin thus providing tools for engineers to model the structural behavior of bridges more accurately when necessary. This paper describes the procedure as applied to a prestressed concrete girder bridge with use of experiences from the previous failure tests and associated evaluations of the bridge. Initial structural assessment indicated the critical failure mode to be due to shear in one of the girders; however the enhanced analysis showed a complex failure involving both the girder and the bridge deck slab. Improving the structural analysis using nonlinear FE analysis for the loading initially identified as critical increased the permitted axle loads on the bridge to 12 to 14 times those given by traditional and standardized assessment methods depending on the concept used for safety verification. The model uncertainty was crucial for the verification of the structural safety and has to be properly taken into account. However there are few recommendations with regard to model uncertainties on the application of nonlinear FE analysis and detailed guidelines should be used for the modeling procedure in order to reduce analyst‐dependent variability in the results. The presented study demonstrates the applicability and the advantages of using the proposed procedure for successively improved analysis for bridge assessment.

            subject: 
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                        authority: uka.se
                    topic: 
                        Engineering and Technology
                        Civil Engineering
                        Other Civil Engineering
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: swe
                        authority: uka.se
                    topic: 
                        Teknik och teknologier
                        Samhällsbyggnadsteknik
                        Annan samhällsbyggnadsteknik
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: bridges
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: codes
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: multilevel assessment
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: nonlinear finite element analysis
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: prestressed concrete
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: probabilistic analysis
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: shear capacity
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                    topic: structural safety
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: swe
                        authority: ltu
                    topic: Byggkonstruktion
                    genre: Research subject
                    @attributes: 
                        lang: eng
                        authority: ltu
                    topic: Structural Engineering
                    genre: Research subject
            language: 
                languageTerm: eng
            genre: 
                publication/journal-article
                ref
            note: 
                Published
                1
                
Validerad;2020;Nivå 2;2020-10-05 (alebob)

            name: 
                @attributes: 
                    type: personal
                    authority: ltu
                namePart: 
                    Bagge
                    Niklas
                    1987-
                role: 
                    roleTerm: aut
                affiliation: 
                    Luleå tekniska universitet
                    Byggkonstruktion och brand
                    Department of Bridge and Hydraulic Design WSP Sverige AB Gothenburg Sweden
                nameIdentifier: 
                    nikbag
                    0000-0001-8889-4237
            originInfo: 
                dateIssued: 2020
                publisher: John Wiley & Sons
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                @attributes: 
                    type: host
                titleInfo: 
                    title: Structural Concrete
                identifier: 
                    1464-4177
                    1751-7648
                part: 
                    detail: 
                            @attributes: 
                                type: volume
                            number: 21
                            @attributes: 
                                type: issue
                            number: 4
                    extent: 
                        start: 1321
                        end: 1344
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                form: print
            typeOfResource: text