Bridge vehicle load model on different grades of roads in China based on Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) data

• Published in: Measurement : journal of the International Measurement Confederation Vol. 122; pp. 670 - 678
• Main Authors: Chen, Bin, Ye, Ze-nan, Chen, Zengshun, Xie, Xu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Elsevier Ltd 01.07.2018; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Bridge construction; Bridge decks; Bridge loads; Bridge maintenance; Bridges; Crack propagation; Driving conditions; Fatigue failure; Fatigue load model; Field measurement; Field study; Fuel consumption; Highways; Load; Mathematical models; Normal distribution; Orthotropic bridges; Probability; Probability distribution; Roads; Shafts (machine elements); Statistical analysis; Statistical models; Steel bridge; Steel decks; Traffic; Vehicle load model; Vehicles; China; Field measurement; Steel bridge; Fatigue load model; Probability distribution; Vehicle load model
• ISSN: 0263-2241; 1873-412X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.measurement.2018.03.005

•The traffic composition and the variation over time on four grades of road in China were explored.•Statistical models of speed, axle weight, and gross vehicle weight were established.•A fatigue load model of vehicles was established based on a two-stage method. Bridge vehicle load is an important parameter that is relevant to the construction and maintenance stages of a bridge. In recent years, a large number of orthotropic steel deck bridges have been built in China, and it is urgent to establish a fatigue load model that reflects the actual traffic conditions of the bridges. This study has investigated the variation of vehicles over time on four grades of road (expressway, first-class highway, second-class highway and urban main road) according to the weight-in-motion (WIM) data. Subsequently, the statistical model was established in terms of speed, axle weight, and gross weight of vehicle (GVW) acting on the four grades of road. Finally, a fatigue load model of vehicles on the four grades of road was established based on a two-stage method. The results show that (1) the speed of vehicle on the four grades of road obeys the unimodal distribution; (2) the GVW of two- and three-axle vehicles on the four grades of road belongs to the t-distribution and the log-normal distribution, respectively; (3) the GVW of four- and five-axle vehicles on expressways is a finite mixed distribution, whereas the GVW of four- and five-axle vehicles on the remain three grades of road obeys the log-logistic and log-normal distribution respectively; (4) the GVW of six- and above axle vehicles on expressways and second-class highways obeys a finite mixed distribution with two variables, whereas that on first-class and urban main roads obeys the log-normal distribution; (5) the axle weight of standard fatigue vehicles differs remarkably on different grades of roads, which is difficult to describe the fatigue damage in a uniform standard fatigue vehicle.