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May 1, 2005

Load Rating versus Reliability Analysis

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Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 131, Issue 5

Abstract

The most common approach to assess the safety of a bridge is load rating. However, this approach cannot quantify the bridge safety in probabilistic terms or fully quantify the structural risk to the bridge. Reliability methods have become an increasingly popular and gradually accepted approach to assess the safety of structures. These methods account for the randomness and correlation of all relevant variables and failure modes in the analysis. This study performs both a load rating analysis and a reliability analysis on the same highway bridge, compares the results, and discusses the strengths and limitations of each approach.

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References

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Journal of Structural Engineering
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 131Issue 5May 2005
Pages: 843 - 847

History

Received: May 28, 2003
Accepted: Oct 11, 2004
Published online: May 1, 2005
Published in print: May 2005

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Notes

Note. Associate Editor: Sashi K. Kunnath

Authors

Affiliations

Allen C. Estes, M.ASCE
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY 10996.
Dan M. Frangopol, F.ASCE
Professor, Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0428.

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