A new methodology to assess the structural capacity of bridge portfolios: application in Northeastern Brazilian bridges

This article presents a new proposal to estimate structural capacity models for bridge portfolios. A common approach is the use of ductility-based capacity models. Herein, a ductility replacement for curvature or drift as engineering demand parameters is conducted, as variability within the bridge’s classes is considered in the results and multidirectional pushover analyses are performed to assess a bi-directional load scenario. Application of the methodology is exemplified for an inventory of Northeastern Brazilian bridges. Parametric analyses are performed by varying the reinforcement ratios to estimate the capacity limit states within the range of values used. These results from probabilistic models define the capacity limit state that can be used to perform vulnerability assessment of bridges to different hazard sources, such as earthquakes.