A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
On Reliability Based Optimal Design of Concrete Bridges
In recent years important progress has been made in the assessment of the lifetime behaviour of concrete bridges. Due to the large uncertainties related to the loading and the deterioration of such bridges, an assessment based on stochastic modelling of the significant parameters seems to be the only relevant modelling. However, a great number of difficulties are involved in the modelling. The main purpose of this paper is to give an overview of areas where more research is needed and in some cases propose solutions. There seems to be a general agreement that optimal design of concrete bridges should include assessment of not only the initial costs but also expected costs related to preventive and essential maintenance, and expected failure costs. The total lifetime costs of a system of bridges or a single bridge will therefore not only depend on load and strength parameters but also on inspection and repair costs and also on design criteria (limit states). Further, it is of interest to study the reliability of a single bridge from a systems point of view but also to study whether bridges can be considered from on an individual basis or whether a system (group) approach should be used. The conclusion of this study is that reliability based optimal design of an infrastructure system of concrete bridges can now be performed based on recent research results obtained worldwide. However, much more research in this area is needed before a general procedure can be established. A number of important factors are only partly investigated or not addressed at all. It is believed that optimal design in this context will reduce drastically the lifetime costs of operating this type of infrastructure systems.
On Reliability Based Optimal Design of Concrete Bridges
In recent years important progress has been made in the assessment of the lifetime behaviour of concrete bridges. Due to the large uncertainties related to the loading and the deterioration of such bridges, an assessment based on stochastic modelling of the significant parameters seems to be the only relevant modelling. However, a great number of difficulties are involved in the modelling. The main purpose of this paper is to give an overview of areas where more research is needed and in some cases propose solutions. There seems to be a general agreement that optimal design of concrete bridges should include assessment of not only the initial costs but also expected costs related to preventive and essential maintenance, and expected failure costs. The total lifetime costs of a system of bridges or a single bridge will therefore not only depend on load and strength parameters but also on inspection and repair costs and also on design criteria (limit states). Further, it is of interest to study the reliability of a single bridge from a systems point of view but also to study whether bridges can be considered from on an individual basis or whether a system (group) approach should be used. The conclusion of this study is that reliability based optimal design of an infrastructure system of concrete bridges can now be performed based on recent research results obtained worldwide. However, much more research in this area is needed before a general procedure can be established. A number of important factors are only partly investigated or not addressed at all. It is believed that optimal design in this context will reduce drastically the lifetime costs of operating this type of infrastructure systems.
On Reliability Based Optimal Design of Concrete Bridges
Thoft-Christensen, Palle (author)
Structures Congress 2000 ; 2000 ; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
2000-04-27
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
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