The new joint Australian and New Zealand design standard for steel and composite bridges AS/NZS 5100.6 - Part 6 : Steel and composite construction

This paper presents some of the innovations that are included within the new Bridge Design Standard for Steel and Composite Construction AS/NZS 5100.6, which will be the first harmonized standard between Australia and New Zealand for the design of bridges. As Chairs of the Committees responsible for AS/NZS 5100.6 and AS/NZS 2327, the authors of this paper present the challenges faced from the introduction concrete compressive strengths up to 100 MPa and quenched and tempered steels with a yield strength up to 690 MPa. Perhaps one of the most innovative aspects of this standard is the introduction of an appendix that provides design rules for steel products that are not manufactured to Australia and New Zealand standards. This appendix is underpinned by rigorous structural reliability analyses undertaken by Australian and New Zealand researchers, which included the present authors of this paper