ABSTRACT

One of the main causes for a high number of deaths during earthquakes is that rescue measures can often only be accomplished insufficiently and delayed. Strategic important roads are impassable due to collapsed bridges, debris or fires so that rescue forces are not able to attain incident places. Hence there is a need to assess the seismic vulnerability of existing bridges in order to guarantee their functionality in case of an earthquake. The assessment procedures should consider the demands of the current standards and must be applicable in the engineering practice. Furthermore the forthcoming introduction of the Eurocode 8 – Part 2 (CEN 2004) increased the interest for reliable assessment procedures considerably.