Life-cycle assessment of riverine bridges under flood and corrosion

Abstract

Global bridge failure statistics highlight that hydraulic actions, particularly hydrodynamic forces and scour, contribute significantly to bridge failures. Previous incidents reveal that extreme floods can lead to complete inundation, resulting in collapse of bridges. Recent studies underscore the vulnerability of the superstructure during flood events. Despite prior research, understanding the impact of flood-induced hydraulic forces on diverse bridge components, particularly in life-cycle analysis with gradual degradation from chlorideinduced corrosion, remains limited. This study utilizes computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations through ANSYS Fluent. It evaluates hydrodynamic forces on superstructure of a typical RC riverine bridge, accounting for gradual performance degradation due to corrosion. The study considers flood-induced scour and conducts finite element (FE) analyses at different stages of the bridge’s lifespan, offering insights into its life-cycle performance under diverse flood scenarios. These findings inform strategies to mitigate the enhanced flood vulnerability of inland RC river bridges facing future intense flood events.