Reliability-based load-carrying capacity assessment of bridges using structural health monitoring and nonlinear analysis

For assessment of existing bridges, load rating is usually performed to assess the capacity against vehicular loading. Codified load rating can be conservative if the rating is not coupled with the field data or if simplifications are incorporated into assessment. Recent changes made to the Australian Bridge assessment code (AS 5100.7) distinguish the difference between design and assessment requirements, and include addition of structural health monitoring for bridge assessment. However, very limited guidelines are provided regarding higher order assessment levels, where more refined approaches are required to optimize the accuracy of the assessment procedure. This article proposes a multi-tier assessment procedure for capacity estimation of existing bridges using a combination of structural health monitoring techniques, advanced nonlinear analysis, and probabilistic approaches to effectively address the safety issues on aging bridges. Assessment of a Box Girder bridge was carried out according to the proposed multi-tier assessment, using data obtained from modal and destructive testing. Results of analysis at different assessment tiers showed that both load-carrying capacity and safety index of the bridge vary significantly if current bridge information is used instead of as-designed bridge information. Findings emerged from this study demonstrated that accuracy of bridge assessment is significantly improved when structural health monitoring techniques along with reliability approaches and nonlinear finite element analysis are incorporated, which will have important implications that are relevant to both practitioners and asset managers.