TY - JOUR
T1 - Investigating Partial Factors for the Assessment of Existing Reinforced Concrete Bridges
AU - Orcesi, Andre
AU - Diamantidis, Dimitris
AU - O'Connor, Alan
AU - Palmisano, Fabrizio
AU - Sykora, Miroslav
AU - Boros, Vazul
AU - Caspeele, Robby
AU - Chateauneuf, Alaa
AU - Ivanković, Ana Mandić
AU - Lenner, Roman
AU - Marić, Marija Kušter
AU - Nadolski, Vitali
AU - Schmidt, Franziska
AU - Skokandić, Dominik
AU - Spuy, Pierre van der
PY - 2023/8/10
Y1 - 2023/8/10
N2 - There is great interest in developing an adequate partial factor format for the assessment of existing structures, and in particular bridges, that should be able to take various aspects into account linked to the fact that the structure already exists. As the structure is existing, additional information related to material parameters, loading conditions, local structural defects, etc. can be accounted for. In addition, the degree of conservatism needs to be well balanced to avoid unnecessary investment of resources in replacement or retrofitting. This contribution considers the experience gained in recent years in parallel with some ongoing standardisation work in relation to Eurocodes and the next edition of the fib Model Code for new and existing concrete structures. The current state of the art of partial factors for the assessment of existing structures is explored and the differences are assessed based on a comparison between (i) the use of recommended fixed partial factors as provided in many national and international codes, (ii) adjusted (flexible) partial factors derived for the individual case under consideration, and (ii) reliability-based verification. In order to assess the adequacy of proposals and identify some differences, the available partial factor formats are applied to two case studies of reinforced concrete bridges and they are critically assessed.
AB - There is great interest in developing an adequate partial factor format for the assessment of existing structures, and in particular bridges, that should be able to take various aspects into account linked to the fact that the structure already exists. As the structure is existing, additional information related to material parameters, loading conditions, local structural defects, etc. can be accounted for. In addition, the degree of conservatism needs to be well balanced to avoid unnecessary investment of resources in replacement or retrofitting. This contribution considers the experience gained in recent years in parallel with some ongoing standardisation work in relation to Eurocodes and the next edition of the fib Model Code for new and existing concrete structures. The current state of the art of partial factors for the assessment of existing structures is explored and the differences are assessed based on a comparison between (i) the use of recommended fixed partial factors as provided in many national and international codes, (ii) adjusted (flexible) partial factors derived for the individual case under consideration, and (ii) reliability-based verification. In order to assess the adequacy of proposals and identify some differences, the available partial factor formats are applied to two case studies of reinforced concrete bridges and they are critically assessed.
KW - >
KW - Existing bridges
KW - Partial factor format
KW - Performance assessment
KW - Reinforced concrete structures
KW - Reliability-based format
U2 - 10.1080/10168664.2023.2204115
DO - 10.1080/10168664.2023.2204115
M3 - Article
SN - 1016-8664
JO - Structural Engineering International: Journal of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE)
JF - Structural Engineering International: Journal of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE)
ER -