Routine analysis of bridges under in-service conditions has traditionally dealt with dynamic effects by the use of codified impact allowances. Non-linear response under overload conditions, causing changes in material properties and leading towards a detailed understanding of realistic limits of serviceability, has received relatively little attention. Useful analytical models, both for in-service and overload conditions, must incorporate realistic descriptions of the transitting vehicle(s) as well as the bridge structure if they are to produce empirically verifiable predictions. The paper describes various aspects of bridge-vehicle modelling using both elastic and inelastic descriptions of the supporting structure and incorporating real, experimentally based descriptions of the vehicle suspension. Experimental verifications of the in-service model, with linear elastic bridge properties, are reviewed and recent developments of a sophisticated non-linear bridge model are presented. Attention is drawn to the appropriate choice of nonlinear solution strategies, as well as to the use of realistic material constitutive laws.

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