Robustness of RC girder bridges: The case of half-joint bridges

Abstract

Considerable research efforts have been made on the progressive collapse resistance of buildings. This effort is much more limited in the case of bridges, where robustness criteria are just as, or even more important than in buildings. Existing studies dealing with the robustness of bridges, although appreciable, often are limited to qualitative considerations that can provide designers with valuable pointers when designing new bridges. It is equally important to assess not only the safety but also the robustness of existing bridges through reliable metrics that can be used in the prioritization of interventions by the managing authority. According to this aim, this paper applies a selected measure of robustness to a particular type of reinforced concrete (RC) girder bridge, namely half-joint bridges. The Annone viaduct, which collapsed in 2016 after the passage of a heavy truck, is used as a case study.