Reliability of corroded steel bridge girders

Abstract

Corrosion is one of the main causes of deterioration of bridges. Structures exposed to harsh environmental conditions are subjected to time-variant changes of their load-carrying capacity. Thus, there is a need for an evaluation to accurately assess the actual condition and predict the remaining life of a structure. System reliability can be used as an efficient tool in evaluation of existing structures. The traditional approach is based on the consideration of individual components rather than the system as a whole. However, it has been observed that the load-carrying capacity of the whole system often is much larger than what is determined by the design of components. Quantification of this difference is the scope of this study.