| Federal highway administration (FHWA) is recommending that transportation agencies use load and resistance factor rating (LRFR) to evaluate the capacity of bridges and bridge class culverts. The proposed equations for culverts have led to some controversial results that translate into more maintenance expenditures for transportation agencies.; In this research we will focus on the different limit states such as strength, fatigue and service to determine how the proposed LRFR model predicts the in-service behavior of existing bridge class culverts. The approach will consist of developing an analytical model to predict and validate results from tested structures. The validated model will then be used to assess the effect of truck load on bridge class culverts over fill to determine the appropriateness of proposed LRFD equations and their economic impact in design.; The result of the study will be used to make recommendations to FHWA for the calibration of the final LRFD model. In addition, the approach could be used to predict any overstress from unusual load or loads from permit trucks. |
