Abstract
Similar to AmericanLRFD Bridge Design Specifications, the current Chinese bridge design code is fully calibrated against gravity load and live load. Earthquake load is generally considered alone and has its own methodology, however, which is not covered in the code in a consistent probability-based fashion. Earthquake load and truck load are the main loads considered in the basis of bridge design in more than 70% of seismic areas in China. They are random processes, and their combination is the main subject of this paper. Seismic characteristics of southeast coastal areas of China are discussed and an earthquake probability curve is calculated through seismic risk analysis. Using measured truck load data from a Bridge Health Monitoring System, the multimodal characteristics of truck load are analyzed and a probability model for a time intervaltis obtained by fitting results and reliability theory. Then, a methodology is presented to combine earthquake load and truck load on a probabilistic basis. To illustrate this method, truck load and earthquake load combinations are used. Results conceptually illustrate that truck load and earthquake load are not dominant in southeast coastal areas of China, but the effect of their combination is. This methodology quantitatively demonstrates that the design is controlled by truck load in most ranges; that is, truck load is more important to bridge design in the region.
Highlights
In the current bridge design specifications of China [1] a typical bridge is designed for 100 years’ service life and the design limit states are only fully calibrated for dead and live loads
Principle emphasis is given to establishing the proper “demand.” In order to pursue the demand side of bridge design specifications, there are numerical challenges that must be overcome in addition to the fact that very limited historical data are available
One objective of this paper is to describe a methodology to handle truck load and earthquake load combinations
Summary
In the current bridge design specifications of China [1] a typical bridge is designed for 100 years’ service life and the design limit states are only fully calibrated for dead and live loads. Truck load data are old and may not suit the current situation, and they need to be updated. This fact makes it difficult to properly consider both truck load and earthquake load in a consistent fashion. A research project is currently being carried out to establish a methodology to systematically combine truck load and earthquake load. Principle emphasis is given to establishing the proper “demand.” In order to pursue the demand side of bridge design specifications, there are numerical challenges that must be overcome in addition to the fact that very limited historical data are available. One objective of this paper is to describe a methodology to handle truck load and earthquake load combinations. Two numerical examples of truck load and earthquake load combinations are used to illustrate the methodology
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