=+7. Timber piles are often used to buttress multiplespan simply supported (MSSS) bridges that are commonly found in rural areas. The authors of “Bridge Timber Piles Load Rating under Eccentric Loading Conditions” (J. Bridge Engr., 2012: 700–710) examined the effect of various geometric and structural characteristics on the critical rating (an overall structural assessment score) of MSSS bridges. The article reported the following data (read from a graph) for x5 timber pile length (m) and y 5 critical rating for a particular timber profile at various damage levels.

x 5 Timber pile length (m): 7.32 7.93 8.54 9.14 9.75 y 5 Critical rating

(damage 5 0%): 59.09 54.79 49.74 44.11 37.99 y 5 Critical rating

(damage 5 20%): 57.52 52.63 44.28 33.85 25.74 y 5 Critical rating

(damage 5 40%): 43.94 30.70 19.12 9.77 2.48