EVALUATION OF RESIDUAL LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGES WITH LOW SOUNDNESS ASSESSMENT

Abstract

 The bridge in this study is a 15.0 m long, simple reinforced concrete T-girder bridge completed in 1959 (65 years old at the present time, 2024). The bridge was assessed as Grade III in terms of the integrity of the main girders, bearings, and substructure based on a close visual inspection. There are no clear criteria to determine the final diagnosis of such deteriorated small to medium-sized reinforced concrete bridges, i.e., whether they need to be repaired or reinforced, or whether they need to be removed or renewed. In addition to the approach from the material investigation of concrete, loading tests using two test trucks and structural performance evaluation using finite element analysis were conducted to clarify the residual bearing capacity of the bridges.