Determining load-carrying capacity and remaining lifetime of bridge in Vitanova, Slovakia

Abstract

Abstract. The paper is focused on diagnostic and calculation of load-carrying capacity of bridge object in village Vitanova in Slovakia. The bridge is on the road II/520 connecting town Tvrdošín and village Suchá Hora near border with Poland and bypass the Oravica River. The bridge object was built in 1957, so, it was 60 years old bridge in time of calculation (2017). It is reinforced concrete slab bridge of two single independent spans. In 2016, the Department of Structures and Bridges, the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Žilina, was asked to carry out the construction and technical survey and diagnostic of above mentioned bridge. The visual inspection, diagnostic, verifying real dimensions and material characteristics were requested. In 2017, the calculation of load-carrying capacity was done. For determining the load-carrying capacity, the standard approach given in Eurocodes was used. As an alternative, the modified (lower) reliability levels and their adequate partial safety factors according to Eurocodes were used. Moreover, the real traffic load was used for calculation of reliability index β and the failure probability Pf.