Simplified Matrix Calculation for Analysis of Girder-Deck Bridge Systems

In the design of girder-deck bridge systems, it is necessary to determine the cross-sectional distribution of live loads between the different beams that make up the cross section of the deck. This article introduces a novel method that allows calculating the cross-sectional distribution of live loads on beam decks by applying a matrix formulation that reduces the structural problem to 2 degrees of freedom for each beam: the deflection and the rotation of the deck slab at the center of the beam’s span. To demonstrate the proposed method, the procedures are given through three different examples by applying loads to a bridge model. Deflection, bending moment, and shear force of the bridge girders are calculated and discussed through the given examples. The use of the proposed novel method of analysis will result in significant savings in material resources and computing time and contributes in the minimization of total costs, and it contributes in the smart modeling process for girder bridge behavior analysis allowing to feed a bridge digital twin (DT) model based on Inverse Modeling holding the latest updated information provided by distributed sensors. The presented methodology contributes also to speed up real-time decision support system (DSS) demands.