@ARTICLE{Jurasz-Drozdowska_Karolina_Analysis_2025,
 author={Jurasz-Drozdowska, Karolina and Radomski, Wojciech},
 volume={vol. 71},
 number={No 4},
 journal={Archives of Civil Engineering},
 pages={587–604},
 howpublished={online},
 year={2025},
 publisher={WARSAW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING and COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL ENGINEERING POLISH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES},
 abstract={Redistribution of internal forces in existing bridge structures occurs very often in practice, especially when they are functionally modernized (e.g. by widening the deck), as well as as a result of changing the static system of the structure. The most telling and relatively common example of the latter situation is the elimination of hinges (e.g. hinges in Gerber systems or hinges in the middle of the span of concrete bridges erected using the cantilever concreting method) and thus creating a continuous hingeless system. As a result of this change, internal forces are redistributed, and insufficiently thorough consideration of it can lead to serious, negative consequences. The article analyzes a real bridge structure located in Opole. The structure accepted for testing has a complicated structural system and has Gerber hinges. The lower flanges of the girders have a variable width along the entire length of the spans – therefore almost every span cross-section of the structure differs from each other. The bridge structure was modelled in the numerical programme SOFiSTiK, which managed to reproduce the diversity of the main girders (variable cross-sections). Work on the model was divided into several stages. The first one was a comparison of internal forces for the state before 2015, obtained from loads according to the standard from the time of construction of the structure and Eurocode. The second stage was a change of the static scheme (widening the usable width of the roadway) and a comparison of internal forces and as above. The third part included the elimination of hinges. Based on the analyses performed, three cases were compared and conclusions were drawn. Looking at the results from loads according to the old standard (and the bridge construction process), we see no increase in the value of forces in variant A and B. The increase occurs only when the hinge is eliminated. Analyzing the results from PN-EN loads, we see that they cause an increase in the value of forces, which is related to a different load setting. Modern utility loads, according to Eurocode, generate greater internal forces, an increase of 70–100%. As can be seen in the example of a real object from Opole, even a small interference in the bridge construction system can have a significant impact on changing the arrangement of forces.},
 type={Article},
 title={Analysis of the impact of widening the bridge deck on the redistribution of the internal forces in the structure on the example of the bridge in Opole, Poland},
 URL={http://ochroma.man.poznan.pl/Content/137558/PDF-MASTER/38_rev2.pdf},
 doi={10.24425/ace.2025.156190},
 keywords={bridge structures, bridge widening, numerical analysis, redistribution of internal forces},
}