Re-analysis of steel and composite bridges – systematic data evaluation of re-analysed bridges
The German motorway network will continue to be exposed to massively increasing traffic loads in the coming years. In combination with age-related deficits in the structural substance, this demands an in-depth examination of existing bridges. The Guideline for the Recalculation of Existing Road Bridges introduced in 2011 established the basis for a systematic recalculation. The Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) commissioned engineers RUHRBERG Ingenieurgemeinschaft, Hagen, with evaluating data and assessing the results to date. The aim was to achieve an optimisation of the previous procedure for recalculating steel and composite bridges.
The findings from the data evaluation and from conducting individual recalculations have been incorporated into a guideline for the simplified evaluation of support structures prior to a recalculation. This should serve as a tool for a better identification of particularly critical structures. Targeted studies of detail spots will thus provide the initial foundations for an assessment of the structures more quickly.