Probabilistic traffic load model for short-span city bridges

Probabilistic traffic load model for short-span city bridges

Hellebrandt, L
Blom, C.B.M. (TU Delft Steel & Composite Structures)
Steenbergen, RDJM (External organisation)

2016

In the coming years numerous existing traffic bridges in cities are subject to re-evaluation. In this paper a new probabilistic traffic load model for short-span bridges is proposed. As an example, site-specific weigh-in-motion data from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, is included in the model. The method proposed in this paper allows for a very efficient computation and at the same time takes into account the stochastics in axle loads and distances. For a simply supported 6 m single lane bridge the probabilistic load model provides a design load effect that is slightly lower than currently prescribed EN 1991-2 and the Dutch Guidelines for existing structures NEN 8700 and NEN 8701. This indicates that there is possible potential for a small reduction of the traffic load for short-span city bridges compared to the current standards. However, given the questionable quality of recorded measurements, a more extensive measurement campaign using WIM measurements is needed to get an adequate quantification of the traffic load parameters for city traffic conditions.

Traffic load
probabilistic
weigh-in-motion (WIM)
short-span bridge

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:4cb6b510-c0e9-4a93-a9a6-4531dde6f975

0046-7316

Heron, 59 (2), 33-56

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2016 L Hellebrandt, C.B.M. Blom, RDJM Steenbergen