Beurteilung der Tragfähigkeit von geschädigten Stahlbetonbrücken auf der Grundlage der Ergebnisse einer Bauwerksprüfung

Structural Reliability Assessment of Damaged Reinforced Concrete Bridges on the Basis of the Results from a Bridge Inspection The regular bridge inspection is of high importance for the reliable use of the infrastructure. This paper describes and explains a method with supports the engineers of a bridge inspection in the assessment of the damaged bridges during or directly after the inspection. Based on this initial estimate the urgent measures i.e. a lower permitted bridge class can still be carried out before more detailed inspections and calculations have been done. The reliability analyses for the damaged bridges are carried out using first order and second order reliability method (FORM and SORM). The probability of failure, p_f or the safety index, of the system respectively are the main results of the calculation procedure. This paper shows the approach and the application with an example. Particularly in the communal sector the method can be helpful, because it can not be assumed that in all cases the regular bridge inspections and the appropriate maintenance have been carried out.