Safety assessment of existing RC bridge piers subjected to vehicle impact

Impact accidents between bridges and vehicles have great randomness, and the threat of various vehicles to bridge structures is also different. In this case, the vehicle impact shall be regarded as a risk event from the perspective of economic and safety requirements, but current studies mainly focus on the deterministic analysis of bridges subjected to vehicle impact. For this reason, this work aims to establish a probability-based safety assessment method for existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridge piers against potential vehicle impact based on the reliability theory. Firstly, a simplified approach is developed for the preliminary impact hazard analysis of RC piers using the probability method, in which the vehicle type and impact probability are considered. Then, the shear and flexural responses of RC piers under vehicle impact are numerically investigated, and the corresponding limit state functions are determined. Furthermore, a procedure to assess the safety level of RC piers is proposed, including preliminary hazard analysis, reliability analysis, and safety evaluation. Finally, a case example of a bridge pier against vehicle impact is given to demonstrate the proposed safety assessment procedure. This method could provide a reference and basis for the anti-impact decision-making of bridge structures in their service period.