Probability-Based Load Models of Highway Traffic

This paper presents a probability-based concept for the modelling of highway traffic loads which includes the effects of dead load, live load and the resistance of the structure. It consists of the following parts: the principles of traffic simulation; the concept of the probabilistic analysis of ultimate limit state (ULS); the load models obtained for ULS; and the particular problems of the analysis of serviceability limit state (SLS). The results of this study show that it is possible to justify, on a probabilistic basis, load models for highway traffic which assure a uniform degree of safety for different structures and which are independent of type of material, type of cross section and other structural characteristics such as span length and deck width.