Calibration of the main road traffic models
Assessment of existing bridges and road traffic loads

To calibrate the primary road load models (EN 1991-2:2004), the available traffic data provided by various countries included:

• historical data collected from 1977 to 1982 in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and the Netherlands. These data were part of a research program by the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC, 1951–2002) on fatigue in steel bridges;

• more recent data, collected primarily in 1986 and 1987 in several countries. Four countries (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) had complete traffic records in digital form, including all necessary information regarding the axle weights of heavy vehicles, the spacing between axles and between vehicles, and the length of the vehicles....