Development of dynamic impact factor for performance evaluation of existing multi-girder concrete bridges

The dynamic effect of moving vehicles on bridges is generally treated as a dynamic load allowance (or dynamic impact factor) in many design codes. Due to the road surface deterioration of existing bridges, studies have shown that the calculated impact factors from field measurements could be higher than the values specified in design codes that mainly target at new bridge designs. This paper develops a 3D vehicle–bridge coupled model to simulate the interaction between a bridge and vehicles and investigates the impact factor for multi-girder concrete bridges. The effects of bridge span length, vehicle speed, and road surface condition on the impact factor are examined. Chi-square tests are then performed on the impact factors and it is found that the impact factors obtained under the same road surface condition follow the Extreme-I type distribution. Finally, simple expressions for calculating the impact factors are suggested applicable to both new and existing bridges. Corresponding confidence levels with the proposed impact factors for the five studied bridges indicate that the proposed expressions can be used with considerable confidence. The proposed expressions for impact factor can be used as a modification of the AASHTO specifications when dealing with short bridges and old bridges with poor road surface condition for which the AASHTO specifications may underestimate the impact factor. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.