Bridge Lifetime System Reliability under Multiple Limit States

Abstract

ABSTRACT:A system reliability approach to minimizing the life-cycle cost of a deteriorating structure offers significant advantages such as a rational assessment of the assumed risk of failure, and an understanding of the importance and contribution of individual components to the overall reliability of the structure. The reliability of a structural system as a whole is the measure of its overall performance. This measure has to include both ultimate and serviceability limit states. A system model of a structure traditionally consists of a series-parallel combination of strength-based component limit states. Serviceability limit states however, can play a tremen dously important role in optimizing the inspection and repair of a deteriorating structure. This paper proposes the use of serviceability flags as a means to incorporate serviceability concerns into a strength-based reliability analysis. Using highway bridges as an example, available data sources for serviceability flags are considered. The effect of including serviceability flags in an optimum life-cycle analysis is illustrated on a specific highway bridge.

Simplified estimation of seismic risk for reinforced concrete buildings with consideration of corrosion over time

“…There, the effects of ageing are more severe since the entire structure is exposed to the environment. Different studies (Val et al 1998;Estes and Frangopol 2001) show that deterioration of performance resulting from reinforcement corrosion could have a significant effect on both serviceability and ultimate limit state of bridge structures, and thus, have to be properly considered in system reliability assessments. Until recently, most work has focused on the assessment of aseismic bridges, but the latest studies (Choe et al 2009;Kumar et al 2009) demonstrate that the effect of corrosion becomes even more meaningful if the bridges are subjected to the seismic load.…”

Bridge Deck Replacement for Minimum Expected Cost Under Multiple Reliability Constraints

“…The life-cycle cost analyses will be applied to an existing structure that has been subject to a number of prior reliability and optimization studies ͑Frangopol 1997; Estes and Frangopol 2001a͒; namely, the State Highway Bridge E-17-AH located in Denver, Colo. This bridge has three simple spans of equal length ͑13.3 m͒ with a total length of 42.1 m. The deck consists of a 229 mm RC slab topped by 76 mm of asphalt.…”

Life-Cycle Performance of Structural Systems under Uncertainty

“…Significant advances have been accomplished in the fields of modeling, analysis, maintenance, repair, and design of deteriorating civil engineering systems (Frangopol 1999, Enright & Frangopol 1998a, 1998b, Frangopol & Furuta 2001, Frangopol et al 2004a, 2004b, 2008, Ellingwood 2005, 2011, Estes & Frangopol 2001a, Nowak & Frangopol 2005, Cho et al 2007, Biondini & Frangopol 2008a, Biondini 2009, Chen et al 2010, Furuta et al 2010, Biondini & Frangopol 2011, Strauss et al 2013, Frangopol & Biondini 2013 and novel approaches to lifecycle reliability assessment, maintenance planning, and optimal design of structural systems have been proposed (Mori & Ellingwood 1994a, 1994b, Frangopol 1995, Frangopol et al 1997a, 1997b, 2002, Fu & Frangopol 1999a, 1999b, Frangopol & Das 1999, Furuta et al 2004, Ciampoli & Ellingwood 2002, Enright & Frangopol 1999a, 1999b, Estes & Frangopol 1999, Frangopol & Maute 2003, Kong & Frangopol 2003b, Biondini et al 2004, 2006a, 2006b, 2008, 2011, Fr...…”