Theory and Empirical Analysis of Bridge Load Limitation Under the Action of Typical Heavy-Duty Vehicles

With the continuous growth of transportation demands, in-service highway bridges face greater challenges in their long-term operational lifespans, and bridge collapse accidents caused by vehicle overloading occur from time to time. Additionally, under the influence of loads and environmental factors, various wear patterns inevitably lead to degraded reinforced concrete bridges. In view of this problem, it is reasonable and feasible to limit the vehicle loads passing over highway bridges, and the key basis for limitation is determining the load limit value of a bridge. Based on a classification of vehicle types, this paper explores the load parameters of several heavy-duty vehicles with large traffic volumes through traffic flow information and summarizes the load spectra of typical heavy-duty vehicles. On the basis of the first-order second-moment method of structural reliability theory, a theory of bridge load limit value is proposed. Given the structural target reliability index, the theoretical load limit value of a bridge can be calculated. To ensure the rationality of the theory of bridge load limit value, by relying on the engineering example of a variable-section continuous girder bridge, the theoretical load limit value is calculated. By comparing actual bridge load test data with the finite element model results, the rationality of the bridge load limiting theory is verified. Finally, the paper notes that it is safer and more reliable to define the load limit value according to the bending stress state for bridges.