Sensitivity Analysis by Parametric Study of Load Factor for a Concrete Box Girder Railway Bridge Using Limit State Design

Reliability based limit state design method is replacing traditional deterministic designs such as allowable stress design and/or ultimate strength design methods in world trends. European design code(Eurocode) has adopted limit state design, and Korea road bridge design standard has also recently been transferred to limit state design method. In this trend, Korea railroad design standard is also preparing for adopting the same design concept. While safety factors are determined empirically in traditional design, load combinations as well as load factors are determined by solving limit state equations. General partial safety factors are evaluated by using AFORM(Advanced First Order Reliability Method) in the reliability based limit state design method. In this study sensitivity analysis is carried out for a dead load factor and a live load factor. Relative precisions of the dead load and the live load factors are discussed prior to the AFORM analysis. Furthermore the sectional forces of design and the material quantities required by two different design methods are compared for a PSC box girder railway bridge.