Influence of Extreme Weather and Its Secondary Disasters on Bridges

Abstract

Global climate change causes more and more extreme weather happened frequently. It poses a new challenge to the structural safety of civil engineering. Nowadays, bridge engineering designs must consider the possibility of extreme climates and the social, economic, and environmental damage they cause. In this paper, the influence of three kinds of extreme weather on bridges is summarized by the method of comprehensive narration, and the influence of secondary disasters is described. Results show that both extreme weather and secondary disasters can significantly impact bridges. Extreme weather includes rainstorms, typhoons and earthquakes and affects the structure and materials of the bridge. Heavy rain erodes the bridge's structure and material and causes flood and debris flow to harm the bridge. Flood water would continue to impact the pier and cause damage to the understructure of the bridge. Meanwhile, they could also induce secondary disasters such as aftershocks and debris flow, impacting the bridges and disrupting the function of the city.