Computational Aspects in the Evaluation an Existing Structure by the Global Safety Method

Resumo

The re-evaluation requirement for existing reinforced concrete structures, considering new regulatory
design requirements is an unquestionable reality. For this, computational analysis tools with an emphasis on
probabilistic input data have been developed and improved over time. In order to be able to consider more realistic
situations, where the structure is collapsed instead of those defined in the original project, following the Ultimate
Limit States, refined and complex computer programs are increasingly needed. In this article, a methodology based
on the concepts of the Global Resistance Format is presented, as defined in the fib Model Code 2010. The proposed
methodology is applied in the re-evaluation of an existing bridge. Bayesian updating of material properties is also
applied in computational analysis. Structural analysis programs and reliability analysis are considered in these
studies. With the proposed method it is possible to evaluate the need for rehabilitation or not, from the point of
view of structural safety, directly depending on the reliability of the structure in view of new regulatory
requirements. The gain in computational terms, is to generate the input data update in a more refined way,
generating more realistic results.