Aging Concrete Slab on Steel Girder Bridges in Changing Climate

Abstract

Concrete Slab on Steel Girder (CSSG) bridges are a common type of bridge in Canada, constituting 25% of the inventory of certain bridge owners. These bridges have typically exceeded half of their design life. However, bridge owners currently lack practical tools for predicting the residual capacity of their aging assets. In light of the changing climate, it is imperative to have the ability to estimate the residual capacity of these bridges for various loading conditions and failure modes. This paper provides a brief overview of the future research that the National Research Council Canada's Construction Research Centre plans to undertake over the coming years on the prediction of residual capacity and structural behaviour of aging CSSG bridges. The research will focus on the residual shear and bearing capacity of deteriorated steel girders, the impact of axial load on moment resistance, and the effects of deterioration on dynamic behaviour. The outcomes of this research are expected to provide Canadian bridge owners with practical tools for evaluating the residual capacity of their aging CSSG bridges, facilitating informed, data-driven decision-making.