Evaluation of Advanced Analysis Techniques for Skewed Reinforced Concrete Rigid Frame Bridges

摘要

With the current limited resources available to rehabilitate or replace substandard bridges, the reliance onadvanced 3D analysis methods to determine the safety of in-service bridges is becoming prevalent. Advanced3D analysis may provide a more accurate load rating that would assist the owner in determining if therehabilitation or replacement of the structure is warranted. Therefore, when and how to use these advanced 3Danalyses are the keys to an efficient load rating. The proper evaluation of the bridge is critical to utilize the limitedresources available to conduct the analyses. It therefore becomes critical to identify when a more advancedanalysis is warranted and how the advanced analysis is performed. This paper will evaluate skewed reinforcedconcrete rigid frame bridges with varying span lengths and skew angles to compare the results of the load ratingfrom traditional 2D analysis with advanced 3D analysis techniques. From this analytical comparison a discussionof the findings and recommendations will be made. These recommendations will assist the load rating engineerin choosing the proper analysis for skewed reinforced concrete rigid frames.