Abstract

HENRIQUES, António A. Model for Probabilistic Assessment of Structural Safety of Concrete Bridges. Inf. tecnol. [online]. 2006, vol.17, n.3, pp.129-136. ISSN 0718-0764.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-07642006000300019.

This study describes the main features of the methodology developed for the probabilistic assessment of safety and serviceability of concrete bridges, taking into account the non-linear constitutive relationships of the materials, time dependent effects, and uncertainty associated with the design parameters of these types of structure. The structural model is based on finite element techniques using an elasto-viscoplastic formulation for precise estimation of the response and ultimate strength of concrete structures. Application of this methodology to a prestressed concrete viaduct is presented to evaluate the computational code and to illustrate its scope of applicability. The results obtained from the analyses were used to identify the most important parameters for each limiting state studied, and the critical zones that should be carefully controlled to obtain rational maintenance.

Keywords : concrete bridges; structural reliability; non-linear behavior; finite elements.