Analytical study on evaluation of load carrying capacity of bridge system with corrosion at the girder in the span center

Abstract

The main girders in a steel I girder bridge are connected with the slab, the sway bracing and the cross frame behaving together as a system. Therefore, if a single part of one main girder is corroded, the remaining healthy main girders are supposed to compensate it. In this study, the bridge loading capacity was evaluated using an FEM model of the bridge system assuming one of the girders is corroded. As result, it was observed that in case one of the girders in a multi-girder bridge system is corroded, the remaining healthy main girders compensate it, confirming the bridge system redundancy.