ABSTRACT
Given the scarcity of available studies related to flood-fragility assessment of bridges and the expected increase in frequency of future flooding events, this study is focused on deriving parameterized fragility models relevant to a class of bridges that capture both primary and secondary effects of flood events. Different parameter combinations of a multi-span simply supported concrete girder bridge class are considered, leveraging finite-element analyses to assess the performance of different bridge components subjected to flooding scenarios. Following statistical sampling and analyses across a comprehensive range of bridge parameters and loading and site conditions, probabilistic flood-fragility functions are derived using statistical regression models for the different failure modes considered. The results highlight the important role of combined primary and secondary effects in exacerbating bridge damage potential during floods. The developed fragility models can be combined with scenario-based or probabilistic flood models to support regional risk and resilience modeling for transportation infrastructure.
