ABSTRACT
Performance of a bridge throughout its lifetime can be measured in terms of sustainability metrics like embodied energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions during various life stages using a life-cycle sustainability analysis (LCS-A) framework. To support this quantification of sustainable bridge performance, uncertainties in various input parameters across different phases of a bridge’s life-cycle should be acknowledged. The significance of various sources of uncertainties and their impact on sustainability metric quantification is evaluated via a sensitivity analysis on the lifetime sustainability measures of a bridge. The results of this study show that the maintenance interval, exposure condition for corrosion and the cost per unit volume of material (embodied energy/m3) are significant modeling parameters that affect estimation of life-cycle costs and emissions, and require care in definition for LCS-A or require future research to reduce uncertainties propagated in the analysis.
