ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: In this paper, a study on the design live load based on actual possible traffic conditions and its application for a multi-span cable-stayed bridge is described. Monte Carlo simulations using vehicle models based on the vehicular load survey are conducted to obtain the maximum responses at the girder, the cable, and the tower of a multi-span cable-stayed bridge. The probabilistic distribution of maximum responses in the 100-year service period obtained from the simulations indicates that the probability of responses that exceed the design values is very small, and the distribution range of maximum responses is also very small. The live load factor of limit state design can be assigned as approximately 1.0, which assures that the bridge is sufficiently safe and significantly reduces the cross-sectional force at the lower part of the middle towers. In addition, since the tail of the vehicle-weight distribution has a large uncertainty, the small influence of the tail on the cable-stayed bridge improves the robustness of the design; this can be a factor in differentiating partial factors for small and medium bridges.
