Vulnerability assessment of the S. João de Loure Bridge: Vouga’s river

Abstract

Steel bridges are particularly sensible to corrosion, which can put at risk the structural safety by affecting the joint elements. Having this in mind, the objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of the joint's stiffness in the structural response of the S. João de Loure steel bridge. An improved model was developed for the bridge on the structural analysis software SAP2000. Maximum deflection, axial forces and corresponding stresses, and natural frequencies, were analyzed. Numerical results allow concluding about the influence of the joint's stiffness in the structural response of the bridge.