Inspection and Strength Evaluation of the Historical Bridges in Bangkok

Abstract

In the Bangkok zone, historical bridges, defined as bridges built more than 75-year old, are observed more than 10 bridges. These bridges are valuable in both architecture and existing-traveling purposes. With the old design practice, the strength of the historical bridge might not be safe and sufficient for carrying the current traffic loads. Therefore, an inspection and strength evaluation of the historical bridges shall be standardized. This paper provides procedures for structural adequacy assessment of historical bridges in Bangkok zone, which consists of a combination of physical inspections, static and dynamic load tests, a nonlinear analysis, and a method for condition load rating. A guideline of techniques for inspection of long serviced bridges under the present service condition is also provided. In addition, physical inspection and numerical analysis are carried out in parallel to obtain a specification for strengthening the historical bridges in order to gain an operational load rating.