Overview
ABSTRACT
In all countries of the world, the road network is an essential communication equipment and it is necessary to maintain it carefully. In France, the road network includes many bridges of very variable ages. They have been, and are, sized to accommodate road traffic loads that have evolved over time. In order to verify their suitability for their function under current conditions, it is useful to know the basis of calculation standards in order to make a realistic assessment of their resistance, taking into account the information available on the evolution of real traffic in each particular case.
pontThe purpose of this paper is to provide the scientific and technical basis on which the road load models of the Eurocode EN 1991-2 standard have been established, in order to allow for possible numerical adjustments in the evaluation of an existing bridge.
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Jean-Armand CALGARO : Honorary General Engineer of Bridges and Roads - Honorary Professor at CHEC and ENPC
INTRODUCTION
Loads resulting from road (and rail) traffic are defined, for new projects, in the NF EN 1991-2:2004 standard, including its national annex. The new (European) version EN 1991-2:2023 (to be published as standard NF EN 1991-2 in late 2027) has already been approved, and with regard to road loads, it contains no technical changes compared to the first-generation version. However, EN 1991-2:2023 cannot be cited in bibliographic references because it is not yet available.
It should be noted, however, that the changes are almost exclusively related to the organization of the text. For this reason, this article does not provide specific references to the clauses of the Eurocode, but these clauses can easily be found in the current or future text.
Studies on road traffic data were primarily conducted at SETRA (Technical Research Service for Roads and Highways; –, now CEREMA) and at LCPC (Central Laboratory of Bridges and Roads; –, now IFSTTAR).
In France, as in every country around the world, road bridges and viaducts constitute an important infrastructure asset that must be managed and maintained. There are between 200,000 and 250,000 road bridges in France, of which 30,000 to 35,000 are believed to be in poor structural condition. Public authorities have recognized the problem, and rehabilitation programs have been launched. In the most serious cases, major repairs are necessary, beginning with as detailed an assessment as possible of the condition of the structure to be restored. Bridges are subjected to various forces, including, of course, those resulting from road or rail traffic. For a new structure, traffic loads are specified in the Eurocode standard NF EN 1991-2. These loads are models that have undergone detailed calibration.
The purpose of this article is to describe the method for calibrating road loads to enable better numerical adaptation of the models when performing a structural assessment of an existing structure.
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KEYWORDS
bridges | traffic flow | road network | road load models | Eurocode EN 1991-2
Assessment of existing bridges and road traffic loads
Normative Context
Bibliography
- (1) - IDRRIM - Rapport ONR 2024 - (2026). Article consultable en ligne https://www.idrrim.com
- (2) - SENAT - Sécurité des ponts : face au « chantier du...
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