Development of loading-truck model and live-load factor for the Canadian Standards Association CSA-S6 code

Abstract

Studies have shown that the MS-200 loading model in the Canadian Standards Association standard CAN3-S6-M78 for design of highway bridges no longer represents modern-day heavy trucks in Canada. For the new edition of the CSA-S6 code, based on the limit states philosophy, a new loading-truck model was developed based on the Council of Ministers' loading, which is the legal load limit for interprovincial transportation in Canada. The loading model, designated as the "CS-W loading truck," provides the flexibility to adopt a multiple-level loading system appropriate to various jurisdictions.The live-load factor was determined from a statistical approach using data from a truck survey conducted across Canada in seven provinces. Responses in simple-span bridges were determined by running one or more trucks from the survey across the bridge. Based on this study, a live-load factor of 1.60 was determined and CS-600, with a gross weight of 600 kN, was selected as the standard load level. As well, the validity of the truck model and the live-load factors were checked for continuous-span bridges. Key words: highway bridges, design loads, codes and standards, live-load models, load factors, load surveys, vehicle weight regulations.