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Civil-Comp Proceedings
ISSN 1759-3433
CCP: 109
PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SOFT COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY IN CIVIL, STRUCTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Edited by: Y. Tsompanakis, J. Kruis and B.H.V. Topping
Paper 15

Life-Cycle Cost Optimization of Degraded Reinforced Concrete Bridges subject to Reliability Constraints

L. Saad1,2, A. Chateauneuf1, W. Raphael2 and R. Faddoul2

1Blaise Pascal University, Clermont-Ferrand, France
2Ecole Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Beyrouth, Saint-Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon

Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper
L. Saad, A. Chateauneuf, W. Raphael, R. Faddoul, "Life-Cycle Cost Optimization of Degraded Reinforced Concrete Bridges subject to Reliability Constraints", in Y. Tsompanakis, J. Kruis, B.H.V. Topping, (Editors), "Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Soft Computing Technology in Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering", Civil-Comp Press, Stirlingshire, UK, Paper 15, 2015. doi:10.4203/ccp.109.15
Keywords: life cycle cost, user delay cost, optimization, reliability, concrete, corrosion.

Summary
An optimal bridge design should minimize the life cycle cost of the structure without compromising its safety. Various cost components need to be evaluated when assessing the life cycle cost of a reinforced concrete bridge. When the structure is subjected to performance degradation due to aging, the probabilistic modelling of the degradation is required. In this paper, the reliability-based design optimization is performed on the life cycle cost of the structure subject to deterioration. This paper advances the state of art by developing a new approach to evaluate the user delay costs for a bridge, based on direct and indirect costs related to degradation and failure. Also, a sensitivity analysis of optimal costs and design variables is performed. The improved life cycle cost analysis presented herein can be applied to select the optimal design of reinforced concrete bridge elements, by minimizing both agency and bridge user costs, while providing the required safety along the structure lifetime.

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