The widespread application of autonomous driving technology has become a prominent trend in the transportation industry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the lateral distribution pattern of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on steel bridge deck pavements (SBDP), with the aim of providing reliable theoretical support for future bridge deck pavement management and operation. A mixed traffic flow lateral distribution model was established and the Nanjing Yangtze Fourth Bridge was used as a case study. A corresponding finite-element model (FE) was constructed and Abaqus FE software was used to analyse rutting depths under different scenarios. The simulation results demonstrated that, under the zero distribution mode, a rational layout of AVs can significantly alleviate rut formation. Conversely, an unreasonable layout will reduce the service life of SBDP. Comparing the lateral distribution patterns of different vehicles, both the normal distribution and uniform distribution patterns exhibited positive effects on the SBDP. However, there was no significant difference in the magnitude of this positive impact between the two modes. This research not only fills the gap in the study of AV impact on SBDP but also proposes management methods for AVs.
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1 October 2025
Research Article|
January 19 2024
The impact of autonomous vehicles on the performance of steel bridge deck pavement
Kaidi Liang;
Intelligent Transportation System Research Center of Southeast University,
Southeast University
, Nanjing, P.R. China
Corresponding author Kaidi Liang (liangkd@seu.edu.cn)
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Jikai Zhu;
Jikai Zhu
Intelligent Transportation System Research Center of Southeast University,
Southeast University
, Nanjing, P.R. China
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Zhenning Qian;
Zhenning Qian
Intelligent Transportation System Research Center of Southeast University,
Southeast University
, Nanjing, P.R. China
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Wenyuan Yang
Wenyuan Yang
Intelligent Transportation System Research Center of Southeast University,
Southeast University
, Nanjing, P.R. China
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Corresponding author Kaidi Liang (liangkd@seu.edu.cn)
Publisher: Emerald Publishing
Received:
October 15 2023
Accepted:
December 20 2023
Online ISSN: 1751-7664
Print ISSN: 1478-4637
© 2025 Emerald Publishing Limited
2025
Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only
Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering (2025) 178 (5): 464–474.
Article history
Received:
October 15 2023
Accepted:
December 20 2023
Citation
Liang K, Zhu J, Qian Z, Yang W (2025), "The impact of autonomous vehicles on the performance of steel bridge deck pavement". Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Bridge Engineering, Vol. 178 No. 5 pp. 464–474, doi: https://doi.org/10.1680/jbren.23.00038
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