bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Duplex Stainless Steels as a Structural Material for Long Life Bridge Construction
Authors: Mameng Sukanya Hägg , Backhouse Andrew , McCray Jonathan , Gedge Graham , Södergren Ronny
Published: February 2021

Structural duplex stainless steel (DSS) is being increasingly used in non-aesthetic and even non- visible structural elements in bridges to reduce the cost of in-service maintenance compared to use of carbon steel. Until recently, use of stainless steel in the built environment has been driven by architects seeking to develop aesthetically satisfying structures. There is now an emerging trend towards utilising the high corrosion resistance of DSS to reduce total life cycle costs. To validate the assumption that structural DSS are a durable solution, an in-service inspection of DSS in selected European bridges has been undertaken. This assessment has concluded that recently introduced EN 1993-1-4 Annex A 2015 is an appropriate selection tool for structural applications, although in some cases it was found to be somewhat conservative. Having confirmed DSS as a durable material, a case study of the use of DSS in the Söderström bridges in Stockholm is presented. To reduce life cycle costs, this project makes extensive non-visible use of a new DSS grade, EN 1.4662.
Evaluating the effect of climate change on snow load on structures
Authors: Croce Pietro , Formichi Paolo , Landi Filippo , Marsili Francesca
Published: February 2021

As consequence of global warming extreme weather events might become more frequent and severe across the globe. The evaluation of the impact of climate change on extremes is then a crucial issue for the resilience of infrastructures and buildings and is a key challenge for adaptation planning. In this paper, a suitable procedure for the estimation of future trends of climatic actions is presented starting from the output of regional climate models and taking into account the uncertainty in the model itself. In particular, the influence of climate change on ground snow loads is discussed in detail and the typical uncertainty range is determined applying an innovative algorithm for weather generation. Considering different greenhouse gasses emission scenarios, some results are presented for the Italian Mediterranean region proving the ability of the method to define factors of change for climate extremes also allowing a sound estimate of the uncertainty range associated with different models.
Experimental evidences of the effectiveness of some liquefaction mitigation measures
Authors: Bilotta Emilio , Chiaradonna Anna , Fasano Gianluca , Flora Alessandro , Mele Lucia , Nappa Valeria , Lirer Stefania , Fioravante Vincenzo
Published: February 2021

Earthquakes induced liquefaction is one of the most significant causes of damage to structures during an earthquake. Ground improvement is currently considered to be the most appropriate mitigation tecnique to prevent soil liquefaction. This work is aimed to compare different liquefaction mitigation techniques for protection of small-to-medium sized ‘critical’ infrastructures and low-rise buildings. The effectiveness of some techniques (densification, addition of fine contents, induced partial saturation and drainage systems) was verified via experimental evidences coming from laboratory testing, physical modelling and liquefaction field prototype tests. Starting from the calibration of advanced soil constitutive models, numerical modelling activities were extended to the back-analysis of centrifuge tests and field prototype tests, up to a parametric study with different geometrical layouts.
Experimental study of deformations and vibrations of beams using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Authors: Polydorou Efstathios , Robinson Des , Taylor Su , McGetrick Patrick
Published: February 2021

This paper reports a series of experimental tests to assess the effectiveness of UAV technology for measuring deformation and vibration characteristics of beam members. A commercially available multi-rotor UAV is employed in conjunction with point-tracking techniques to measure static deformations of simply supported beams. The investigations are further extended to vibration measurements of cantilever beams to explore the feasibility of the UAV technology for measuring the natural frequencies. The results from both tests are compared with displacement sensors as well as stationary static and high-speed cameras. This study provides a good example of using UAV technology as a flying deformation monitoring platform in structural health monitoring.
Extending Service Life Expectation by Restoration and Strengthening Concrete Structure of Åland Maritime Museum in Finland
Authors: Avellan Kari C. , Belopotocanova Erika
Published: February 2021

The growing number of deteriorating concrete structures not only affects the productivity of the society, but also has a great impact on our resources, environment and human safety. The application and applicability of the codes, sustainability requirements and methods selecting an optimal design on service extension using the tools of optimization of design life performance is demonstrated in a case study presenting the process of restoration and strengthening a concrete structure of Åland Maritime Museum. The use of selected strengthening techniques was suitable to achieve the desired service life extension and to retain integrity and authenticity of the structure.
Final overview of COST Action TU1406 – Quality Control of Existing Bridges
Authors: Campos e Matos José , Casas Joan R. , Fernandes Sérgio
Published: February 2021

Across Europe, the need to manage roadway bridges efficiently led to the development of multiple management systems. Despite presenting similar system frameworks, the condition assessment procedure is one of the difference that distinguishes them. This dissimilarity constitutes a divergent mechanism that has direct interference in the decision making process leading to considerable variations in roadway bridges quality. COST Action TU1406 aims to institute a standardized roadway bridges condition assessment procedure. Such purpose requires the establishment of recommendations for the quantification of performance indicators, the definition of performance goals and a guideline for the standardization of quality control plans for bridges. By developing new approaches to quantify and assess bridge performance, as well as quality specifications to assure expected performance levels, bridge management strategies will be significantly improved, enhancing asset management of ageing structures in Europe. The work developed and achieved by COST Action TU1406 will be presented.
Finding the link between visual inspection and key performance indicators for road bridges
Authors: Ivanković Ana Mandić , Kušter Marić Marija , Skokandić Dominik , Njirić Ela , Šiljeg Josipa
Published: February 2021

Based on the rating from visual inspection and proposed weighting through component, system and network level, assessment procedure resulting with set of six most important Key Performance Indicators (KPI) for road bridges is presented. Those are: bridge condition assessment, structural safety, traffic safety, durability indicator, availability and bridge importance in the network. KPIs organised in the radar shaped diagram serve for priority repair ranking decisions. The procedure is elaborated at the sample of five actual bridges: two reinforced concrete arch bridges, one with solid and other with hollowed cross-sections; one frame type bridge with V shaped piers; one precast slab overpass; one solid slab continuous bridge with Y type piers. Bridges are built between 1958 and 2001 and are located either at the state or at the local roads in Croatia. Spans are varying from

9.5 to 72 m and overall lengths from 22 to 120 m.
General approach to safety and risk management in bridge construction
Authors: Soares José , Pacheco Pedro , Coelho Hugo , Resende André , Carvalho Diogo , Torres Alberto
Published: February 2021

Modern bridge construction equipment are actual living structures, in which human activity plays an important role in equipment safety and structural performance.

Demand for high productivity pushes the development of increasingly audacious structural concepts, leading to integration of high capacity hydraulic components as pure structural elements.

The use of large movable structures (LMS) such as launching gantries (LG) or movable scaffolding systems (MSS) is widespread in Europe and North America and specialized crews have been trained throughout the years. Increasing implementation of modern bridge construction processes in developing regions not yet familiarized with inherent construction equipment brings new challenges in terms of safety.

Safety is the ultimate result of combined and coordinated activity of contractors, bridge designers, construction process developers, manufacturing quality controllers and equipment operators.

This paper aims to provide a general overview on safety and risk management in bridge construction processes. A multidisciplinary design approach, strongly governed by an effective risk analysis is herein explored, making references to practical examples. Experimental testing may and must be used as complementary design tool. The role of structural monitoring and active control systems is also considered, highlighting the practical example of Organic Prestressing System (OPS), an actively controlled prestressing system that increases structural efficiency.

Main conclusions drawn in the end may be generalized to other design and construction activities
Implementation of COST Action TU1406 Quality Control framework as a part of Bridge Management System in Saint Lucia
Authors: Sein Sander , Sirvio Konsta Mikael
Published: February 2021

The main objective of the proposed paper is to present the applicability of the Quality Control framework developed by COST Action TU1406. Since most of the European countries have already implemented a bridge management system (BMS) and by using case studies it has been presented how novel approach can lead to more accurate decisions and connect the evaluation of existing structures to designed limit states. Opposite to European countries Saint Lucia bridge network has for many years suffered from lack of adequate maintenance, which has resulted in pronounced deterioration of the network. The situation has grown worse due to underfunded maintenance and it is therefore of utmost importance that those available funds are put to optimum use.

As a part of BMS development of Saint Lucia, an assessment method of TU1406 proposed quality control plan was used together with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) condition rating method to make the decision-making more efficient. The BMS is developed without any initial information and for inexperienced staff, so it is fruitful to test the novel theoretical procedure in practice and compare results with widely used method.

During the investigation, on-site inspections of 71 bridges were carried out and both methods were compared regarding to implementation procedures and decision-making.

Main attention in this paper is on assessment of structures, including reported information of inspections, and comparison of maintenance decision-making based on different approaches.
Increase of the working life of expansion joints thanks to the use of innovative solutions
Authors: Paroli Luca , Chivante Mauricio
Published: February 2021

A number of innovations have been developed in recent years in order to positively influence the durability and fatigue life of various components of expansion joints, no matter for which range of displacement.

It is a fact that the use of expansion joints of the single-seal or modular type crucially increases their working life while reducing their maintenance cost.

The main aim of these innovations is to increase the corrosion resistance and avoid wear or cracking of the single components over time.

The paper will describe the key features of modular expansion joints with regard to durability aspects.
infFaros – Road Infrastructure Management System for Research and Practice
Authors: Hajdin Rade , Schiffmann Frank
Published: February 2021

The increased need to manage road infrastructure in holistic manner led in the recent years to vivid research in diagnostics and maintenance planning of all types of road infrastructure objects. The practice lags behind this research and with very few exceptions a silo-based approach to maintenance planning is still dominant within the road agencies. The implementation of a holistic approach in practice is also hampered by the lack of scientifically sound and yet flexible decision support tool that can handle data of varying quality. With the goal to remove this obstacle and based on the long-term research, the development of infFaros started in 2015.

infFaros can handle road sections and road structures (e.g. bridges) together making use of synergy effects and allowing corridor planning. It supports various methodologies including probabilistic and deterministic deterioration, cost/benefit and cost/effectiveness decision-making as well consideration of already scheduled interventions and the evaluation of their impact. infFaros is a modern web-based application. The paper presents both technical background of the software and outlines its software architecture.
Influence of elevated temperatures on the bond behaviour of GFRP bars to concrete – pull-out tests
Authors: Rosa Inês C. , Firmo João P. , Correia João R. , Mazzuca P.
Published: February 2021

This paper presents experimental investigations on the bond behaviour between concrete and glass fibre reinforced polymer (GFRP) rebars at moderately elevated temperatures. Pull-out tests were performed on two types of ribbed GFRP rebars, embedded in concrete cylinders, from ambient temperature up to 300 °C; in these tests, the influence of the rebars’ diameter (8 mmvs.12 mm) was also investigated. Specimens were first heated up to the predefined temperature (measured at the GFRP-concrete interface) and then loaded up to failure. The results obtained confirmed that the stiffness and strength of the GFRP rebars-concrete interface suffer significant reductions with temperature; results were also compared with those obtained in a similar experimental campaign performed by the authors, in which sand-coated GFRP rebars were used: this comparison showed that the bond strength of ribbed rebars is significantly less affected by temperature than that of sand-coated ones.
Infraestruturas de Portugal experience on developing a Strategic Asset Management Plan
Authors: Pinheiro Maria Manuel
Published: February 2021

A Strategic Asset Management Plan or SAMP is a critical element in an Asset Management System (AMS) and is meant to be an important input on any organization planning processes as it represents how the management foresee its assets, account stakeholders interests and organization mission. It is also a specific requirement of ISO 55001.

IP – Infraestruturas de Portugal, SA is a road and rail Infrastructure Manager, overseeing a wide number of assets. Its core business is to design, construct, maintain and explore the road and rail national networks. It is a big organisation, and although it has a corporate vision that clearly gives relevance to asset management practices, it is hard to grasp explicit guidance on how to long-term manage assets towards satisfying customers, meeting all regulatory obligations and stakeholders expectations. It is necessary to bridge gaps from business plans to asset management plans, from corporate objectives to asset management objectives, from the day-to-day activities of managing cost, performance and risk to achieving business goals. Developing a SAMP is a task that demands combined efforts and top management engagement. On the other hand SAMP has the purpose of supporting strategy on different timeframes, short-term policies and long-term consequences taking into account the wide life-spans of assets.
Innovative green roof with high water retention and durability
Authors: Buch-Hanser Thomas Cornelius , Du Guangli , Duffus David John
Published: February 2021

Given the rapid increase in urban populations, combined with the effects of climate change, cities are struggling to provide green spaces to address liveability as well as adaptability to new challenges. Water retention and bio-diversity are the main advantages of green roofs. There are, however, limitations to green roofs that impede their acceptance and proliferation. There is for example uncertainty on how much water they retain during major storm events. In terms of building technology, green roofs today aren’t robust, and the risk for leakage through the roof membrane is disproportionally high when compared to the cost. A newly developed innovative green roof system with high water retention capacity and high durability will be presented. The patented prefabricated technology incorporate insulation and membrane into a single concrete element, ensuring improved robustness, quickened building times and a long term durable product. Initial indications for pricing indicate that the system is price-neutral when compared with green roofs as they are built today. The optimized structural performance obtain same loadbearing capacity, as existing systems, in spite of the relatively increased space created for water reservoir, without compromising the insulation capacity, hence the new green roof system further contribute to increased sustainability.
Judgement methods of fire resistance time of hybrid reinforced concrete beams
Authors: Tian Jingbo , Qu Wenjun
Published: February 2021

Hybrid reinforced concrete beams have been designed by replacing the steel bars in areas with weak durability with fiber-reinforced plastic bars. This paper suggests the judgement methods of fire resistance time of hybrid reinforced concrete beams by considering about the judgement methods of fire resistance time of steel reinforced concrete beams and FRP reinforced concrete beams that were proposed by scholars and standards of various countries. Six hybrid reinforced concrete beams were subjected to a fire test. The deflection and the temperature of hybrid reinforced concrete beams in the fire test were recorded. These judgement methods suggested by these scholars and standards are applied in judging the fire resistance time of these six hybrid reinforced concrete beams respectively. The results are compared to suggest that almost all the main factors having a great influence on fire resistance time of hybrid reinforced concrete beams are considered by the deformation limitation method, and this method can be taken as the main determinant in the judgement methods. The heat insulation of beams and the average temperatures of the surface of beams cannot be used directly to judge the fire resistance time. The judgement methods are improved by combination of these methods so that the judgement methods can be used for the design.
Life cycle costs. The importance of the users' costs
Authors: Almeida José C. , de Brito Jorge , Cruz Paulo
Published: February 2021

The aim of this paper is to present a methodology that allows the quantification of the users’ costs in bridge life cycle costs analysis. This model, created for concrete roadway bridges, allows the quantification of the users’ costs in a swift and intuitive way. The considered items for the quantification of the costs are: vehicle operation, time, accidents and tolls when applicable. This method, implemented along with a deterioration model, allows the quantification of the users’ costs for different material alternatives of reinforced concrete bridges. The users’ costs are quantified with the comparison of the costs corresponding to a free flow condition with those that result from the scenario of the creation of work zones. The users’ costs quantification methodology allows the definition of recommendations concerning the design and construction stages of concrete roadway bridges with the aim of minimizing the life cycle costs.
Long-term structural and durability performances of reinforced concrete elements strengthened in flexure with CFRP laminates: a research project
Authors: Sena-Cruz José , Ricardo Cruz José , Correia Luís , Cabral-Fonseca Susana , Michels Julien , Czaderski Christoph
Published: February 2021

Over the last two decades, the use of fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials for strengthening existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures has been constantly increasing, and nowadays it is considered state-of-the-art and is frequently used by the construction industry. Typically, these composite materials are externally bonded (EBR technique) or near-surface-mounted (NSM technique) on the elements to be retrofitted. Although substantial research has been performed and design rules have been established, most studies focused on the short-term structural performance of the strengthened elements without considering their long-term behaviour. The FRPLongDur R&D project aims at studying the long-term structural behaviour and durability performance of RC elements strengthened in flexure with Carbon FRP (CFRP) laminates according to the EBR and NSM techniques, under various real environmental exposure and loading conditions (carbonation, moisture, chlorides, thermal and freeze-thaw cycles, initial FRP pre-strain level and sustained loading). For this purpose, several prototypes have been installed in different sites of Portugal, each one being representative of the above listed environments under investigation, currently considered as the most critical exposure conditions. Additionally, test specimens of the materials involved – CFRP laminate, epoxy adhesive and concrete – and bond specimens have been prepared and installed near the other prototypes in order to evaluate their own durability. The present paper presents the initial insights on the ongoing FRPLongDur project.
Measurement errors in vision based displacement monitoring of masonry bridges
Authors: Acikgoz Sinan , DeJong Matthew J. , Soga Kenichi
Published: February 2021

Vision based displacement monitoring techniques are increasingly used to monitor dynamic displacements in operational bridges. These techniques are particularly well-suited to remotely monitor masonry bridges, which possess textured surfaces that enable effective tracking of sub-mm displacements simultaneously at many locations of the bridge. However, end users need to be aware of potential measurement errors which can impact their measurements. This paper discusses two sources of errors which are particularly relevant for monitoring displacements in masonry bridges with the 2D DIC technique: scaling errors and out of plane movement induced errors. The former category of errors occur due to incorrect scaling of tracking results in pixel units to displacements in metric units. In this paper, a new calibration method is proposed to minimise these errors. The method uses the naturally existing parallel lines in the masonry texture to identify two vanishing points in the image. These vanishing points and the known world coordinates of an identified feature in the image are then used to determine the relative rotation of the image and object planes and the correct scaling factors for different displacement points. The second source of error relates to the limitation of 2D DIC to measure only planar displacements. When out of plane movements occur in the object plane, these are registered incorrectly as in-plane movements. Using a pinhole camera model, the impact of out of plane movements on measurement accuracy are quantified. The results provide insight into how out of plane errors may be minimised or removed in order to achieve a higher measurement accuracy. The findings are explained with the application of the aforementioned techniques to the monitoring of a masonry viaduct.
Mode Specific Evacuation Planning in Infrastructure Risk Management
Authors: Rutten Ben , Bollars Stefan
Published: February 2021

The majority of the people is using a smartphone for all kind of communication and information sharing. By monitoring movements of the smartphone combining with big data analytics in the cloud not only the movement of the smartphone (and its owner) can be detected, but also the mode of transport can be derived: walking, biking, car driving, bus or train passenger. Combining this knowledge with the state of the evacuee, the known location and direction of movement of the natural event and the state of infrastructure and traffic, a specific message can be sent to the owner of the smart phone in which direction to evacuate.

In the paper we will describe the principal method of mode detection and the way how this could lead to proper and reliable messages to the evacuee, knowing infrastructure and traffic state, the location of the natural event, and the state of the evacuee.
New launching method of composite steel-concrete decks for replacing two bridges in Luxembourg
Authors: Oliveira Pedro José J. , Salmon Arnaud
Published: February 2021

The deck replacement of two bridges in Luxembourg is presented, using a new launching method of composite steel-concrete box-girder decks already with the slab, which comprises also the dismantling of the old decks. The main construction steps for replacing the two bridge decks with typical spans of 35 m are described. The data of the new decks and the design verifications, both during construction and in service, are presented.
Operation and maintenance of Osmangazi Bridge
Authors: Zeybek Fatih
Published: February 2021

Osmangazi Bridge is a suspension bridge with a 1550 meter main span is the fourth longest span bridge in the world.

The routine maintenance of the bridge are done by the Operator GIIB and the heavy repairs by the Concessionaire (Otoyol A.Ş.) based on the recommendations of the Bridge EPC contractor.

This paper summarizes the basics of the Osmangazi Bridge’s operation maintenance activities, which emphasizes to the Bridge maintenance strategy and the instructions to be applied for the operation and maintenance staff and subcontractors in order for them to undertake inspection and maintenance of the bridge. A summary of overall inspection and maintenance programs outlining the required anticipated tasks over the time is also given in the paper.
Optical methods and wireless sensors for monitoring of bridges
Authors: Popescu Cosmin , Täljsten Björn , Blanksvärd Thomas , Sas Gabriel , Jimenez Alexander , Gärdin David Crabtree , Elfgren Lennart , Carolin Anders
Published: February 2021

Six railway bridges have been scanned using infrared scanning (IR), close range photogrammetry (CRP) and terrestrial laser scanning (TRS) to reconstruct point clouds and evaluate the potential of the technologies for building information modelling (BIM) and assessment purposes. The results may also help to improve bridge inspection routines. This is done by evaluating the accuracy and quality of the point clouds, time consumption, safety and traffic disturbance.

Wireless Monitoring has been used in a demonstration project in Sweden. It consists of a base station and nodes. The base station receives signals from the node antennas and transmits the signals to the cloud. The nodes are equipped with strain gauges, crack opening devices, temperature sensors or other suitable sensors for the investigation purpose. Results from the methods and conclusions regarding further use will be presented.
Osmangazi Bridge Structural Health Monitoring System
Authors: Zeybek Fatih
Published: February 2021

Osmangazi Bridge is the fourth longest span bridge in the world with it’s 1550 meter main span. The bridge and the first phase of the motorway were opened to traffic on 30th June, 2016.

Osmangazi Bridge is heavily instrumented with various hybrid devices for monitoring the real-time structural behavior (such as vehicular weight, wind speed, seismic, other environmental and structural parameters) and effects on the bridge (such as strains, acceleration, displacement, temperature).

This paper summarizes the basics of the Osmangazi Bridge’s SHMS (Structural Health Monitoring System) that’s used together with visual inspections, tests and subcontrol systems to make assessment and optimize the required maintenance activities of bridge
Prediction of chloride profiles and discussion of time variant alterations
Authors: Binder Fritz , Burtscher Stefan L. , Strauss Alfred
Published: February 2021

For a highway operator, such as ASFiNAG, bridges are very important assets. Despite all regular maintenance measures, these structures are strongly subjected to ageing and degradation, because of their exposure. Thus, leading to high maintenance expenditures. In Austria strong winters are obligatory and, therefore, de-icing measures are used for thawing. These substances contain chlorides, which are dissolved in water. Several elements of the bridges – especially the columns – are severely exposed. The exposure over many years leads to serious concrete degradation, depassivation of the rebars and pitting corrosion.

The LA-ICP-MS (Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry) method presented in this paper is a fast and reliable analysis strategy and a novel technique in terms determination the chloride content in the cement phase of existing concrete structures. The high accuracy and depth resolution of the chloride profiles enable a more precise data assessment for forecast models. For this purpose, chloride profiles were taken from a retaining wall at different heights in weekly intervals in the year 2016/2017 and in October of 2012. In conjunction with moisture monitoring and additional environmental data, as well as data from the de-icing salt deposit, it reveals important interrelations and dependencies to the measured profiles. This data enables new insight in the prediction of the development of the chloride profiles over time and depth. To apply the findings into practice, two analytical models were used to show the complexity and sensitivity of the derived input parameters.
Pull-Out Capacity of GFRP Connectors in the Edge Area of Precast Concrete Sandwich Walls
Authors: Carstens Stefan , Pahn Matthias
Published: February 2021

Precast concrete sandwich panels are used to fulfil the rising thermal requirements. The sandwich walls consist of three layers, a facing, a thermal insulation layer and a load-bearing layer. The two outer layers are coupled by connectors made of glass-fibre reinforced polymer. The connectors are loaded primarily in tension. Their failure mode under short-term tensile load is a combination of a concrete breakout and bond failure modes. In the edge area, the concrete breakout can not be fully developed, resulting in a reduction of the ultimate load. Conservative approach for this reduction adopted in the codes limits application of GFRP connectors. Tests were carried out in the edge area to compare the ultimate load with predictions of the CC method from the field of fastening technology. The comparison shows good compliance and allows an investigation of the tensile load capacity in the edge area and so a more efficient design with reduced edge distances is possible.
Reliability analysis of carbonation for recycled aggregate concretes
Authors: Faleschini Flora , Zanini Mariano Angelo , Hofer Lorenzo
Published: February 2021

Durability represents a crucial issue in the evaluation of safety and serviceability for reinforced concrete structures. Carbonation-induced corrosion is a complex process, which involves several phenomena with different nature at the micro-scale level. Many studies have already focused on carbonation-induced corrosion of natural aggregate concrete (NAC), leading to several prediction models to estimate carbonation depth. Less research is devoted instead on recycled aggregate concrete (RAC), about which limited experimental works analyzed carbonation coefficient in accelerated tests. This work presents a reliability-based analysis of carbonation resistance of RACs, applied on experimental carbonation coefficients derived from literature, and on the full probabilistic method prosed in fib Bulletin 34.
Role of Maintenance in Reducing Building Vulnerability to Extreme Events
Authors: Pham Lam , Palaneeswaran Ekambaram , Stewart Rodney
Published: February 2021

The paper is to assess contribution of maintenance toward reducing building vulnerability to extreme weather events such as high wind, wild fire and flood. The aims are to gather technical knowledge to develop policy recommendations and guidelines for practice in Australia. Reducing building vulnerability to extreme events is one way of improving building resilience that is partly under the control of the building owners/occupiers. The performance of buildings will decease overtime without effective maintenance and their vulnerabilities to extreme events will increase. What are the opportunities to reduce building vulnerability via maintenance is the key question. Lack of consideration for maintenance during the design phase and lack of proper as-built documentation at completion of construction are the two main deficiencies of the Australian building system. The paper reviews the impacts of weather events in Australia. Losses due to storms, cyclones, wildfires and floods accounted for 96% to total losses due to disasters. Emerging risks for Australia are due to climate change, changes to construction practice and the introduction of new construction products without appropriate control. Maintenance activities currently carried out in Australia include (i) maintenance of essential safety measures, (ii) maintenance for habitability and

(iii) preventive maintenance for extreme events. Maintenance is considered as a post-construction activity and a responsibility for States and Territories governments. Opportunities for reducing building vulnerability vary with the types of events. For storms and cyclones, water penetration remains a recurring and costly issue. For floods, the opportunities for the owners/occupiers are mainly in preparation of the buildings before the floods and subsequent clean up and repairs. For wildfires, the main opportunity is in reducing the risk of ignition due to embers action with appropriate maintenance measures for the buildings and surrounding areas. The main recommendation of the research is to establish a building maintenance manual for each building with prescribed information including (i) as-built construction details relevant to maintenance, (ii) required preventive maintenance checklist.
Segmented footbridge made of UHPFRC
Authors: Tej Petr , Mourek Jan , Blank Marek , Kněž Petr
Published: February 2021

The paper deals with the design and production of a segmented prestressed bridge made of Ultra High Performance Fiber Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) The footbridge is installed in the town of Příbor in Czech Republic. The UHPFRC or UHPC material in the Czech Republic gradually finds its way to interesting and unique design applications. The paper presents the design and production of a segmented bridge of the first type in the Czech Republic, designed as a simple beam of 35 meters total length of 36 meters, which is created by the closure of five double-chamber segments 2,5 m wide and 0,8 m height. The UHPFRC class C110 / 130 was chosen as a structural material with a dispersed steel reinforcement developed by Klokner Institute CTU in Prague.
Seismic risk assessment of an old RC frame-wall building in Lisbon
Authors: Caruso Claudia , Bento Rita , Castro José Miguel
Published: February 2021

This study investigates the structural vulnerability of an old reinforced concrete dual wall-frame building structure, in Lisbon, Portugal. The building presents non-ductile behaviour and detailing typical of buildings designed before the introduction of modern seismic codes (pre– 1980). An analytical methodology is adopted in which multiple stripe analysis are performed on a three- dimensional model of the building. Fragility and vulnerability functions are developed for this structure, representative of a typology of old RC buildings. The fragility is derived taking into account the brittle shear failures of RC vertical members, i.e. columns and shear walls. The nonlinear dynamic analyses clearly indicate that these failure modes have a critical influence on the seismic performance of the structure. The results of this study can be used for seismic loss assessment and for the identification of appropriate mitigation strategies for this typology of existing RC buildings.
Seismic risk assessment of RC curved bridges through fragility curves
Authors: Serdar Nina N. , Pejovic Jelena R. , Pejovic Radenko , Knežević Miloš
Published: February 2021

It is of great importance that traffic network is still functioning in post- earthquake period, so that interventions in emergency situations are not delayed. Bridges are part of the traffic system that can be considered as critical for adequate post-earthquake response. Their seismic response often dominate the response and reliability of overall transportation system, so special attention should be given to risk assessment for these structures. In seismic vulnerability and risk assessment bridges are often classified as regular or irregular structures, dependant on their configuration. Curved bridges are considered as irregular and unexpected behaviour during seismic excitation is noticed in past earthquake events. Still there are an increasing number of these structures especially in densely populated urban areas since curved configuration is often suitable to accommodate complicated location conditions. In this paper special attention is given to seismic risk assessment of curved reinforce concrete bridges through fragility curves. Procedure for developing fragility curves is described as well as influence of radius curvature on their seismic vulnerability is investigated. Since vulnerability curves provide probability of exceedance of certain damage state, four damage states are considered: near collapse, significant damage, intermediate damage state, onset of damage and damage limitation. As much as possible these damage states are related to current European provisions. Radius of horizontal curvature is varied by changing subtended angle: 25 °, 45 ° and 90 °. Also one corresponding straight bridge is analysed. Nonlinear static procedure is used for developing of fragility curves. It was shown that probability of exceedance of certain damage states is increased as subtended angle is increased. Also it is determined that fragility of curved bridges can be related to fragility of straight counterparts what facilitates seismic evaluation of seismic vulnerability of curved bridges structures.
SHM system vs. FEM model – comparison between measured and calculated data of a cable-stayed bridge
Authors: Biliszczuk Jan , Hawryszków Paweł , Teichgraeber Marco
Published: February 2021

The Rędziński Bridge in Wrocław is the biggest Polish concrete cable-stayed bridge. It is equipped in a large Structural Health Monitoring system which has been collecting the measured data since the bridge opening – from the year 2011. After 7 years [2] a comparison between the measured data and the FEM calculations is presented in this paper.
Structural Restoration and Reinforcement of Desengano Bridge
Authors: Alves Ricardo Valeriano , Lima Perlingeiro Mayra Soares Pereira , de Souza Judice Flávia Moll
Published: February 2021

The Desengano bridge, with 11 spans and 171.5 meters in length, transverses the Paraíba do Sul River between the cities of Vassouras and Valença in the State of Rio de Janeiro and was part of the Dom Pedro II Railroad (EFDPII). The bridge has exceptional historical value because it is one of the very first metallic structures built in Brazil and was inaugurated in 1865 by Emperor D. Pedro II himself. The bridge, originally made up of three lines of stringers, supports a railroad and a carriageway. In this century, one of the stringer lines was removed to make room for the modern railway bridge supported by the original pillars. The two remaining stringer lines, with a reinforced concrete slab, were intended for road traffic. The objective of this work is to present the particulars of the restoration and structural reinforcement completed in 2017 on the roadway. A physical- chemical analysis revealed that the metallic structure is composed of wrought iron whose brittle nature prevents the use of welded connections. The slab of reinforced concrete, with carbonation and corrosion problems, was submitted to an alkalinization process. The entire superstructure was suspended for leveling and installation of elastomeric bearings. The careful removal of specific rivets made screw connections possible for structural reinforcement. The nine arch spans were reinforced with a new bracing system, Dywidag bars arranged parallel to the original rods, and tensioned by indirect prestressing. The two lattice girder spans were reinforced with monostrand tendons prestressed just below the lower flange. The recovery of steel areas, lost through corrosion, was accomplished by concrete adhesion. The reinforced structural elements were designed so as not to affect the architecture of the historical patrimony.
The new French interactive Guide for Investigations on Structures
Authors: Godart Bruno , Aubagnac Christophe
Published: February 2021

IFSTTAR, in collaboration with the CEREMA, decided to publish in 2015 an interactive guide on the investigations (or auscultation) of bridges which has two main parts. A first part presents more than one hundred auscultation methods for "materials" and "structures" that are sufficiently valid, giving for each method its principle, its field of application, the limits and conditions of use, the specific constraints, the precision of the measurements, as well as elements on the availability and the cost. A second part presents the diagnostic methodologies combining various auscultation methods according to an optimal scheduling in order to know the condition of the structures. The guide is on internet and uses hypertext links to connect all the documents. This guide, which aims to be a simple document to read, pedagogical and didactic, is continuously improved. It may be found at the following address: http://www.ifsttar.fr/collections/CahiersInteractifs/CII1/index.html
Toward the development of standardized procedures for structural health monitoring
Authors: Limongelli Maria Pina
Published: February 2021

Monitoring of structural health conditions is performed using different methods that range from periodic surveys including nondestructive testing at selected locations, to permanent monitoring using network of sensors continuously recording the structural response. These procedures aim at providing detection of possible faults or deterioration processes in order to optimally manage civil structures and infrastructures over the lifecycle. To date several guidelines have been published by different countries all over the world but protocols to apply SHM are generally not defined nor enforced. This is likely to be of the reasons that stand behind the limited diffusion and implementation of SHM for routine operations of condition assessment. In this paper building the principal aspects of the SHM process are presented and the need of the development of protocols for the different phases of the SHM process, from design to practical implementation and use are outlined.
Towards an assessment tool of anobiid damage of pine timber structures
Authors: Nunes Lina , Parracha João L. , Faria Paulina , Palma Pedro , Maurício António , Pereira Manuel F. C.
Published: February 2021

The safety assessment of old timber structures is an important issue, due to the long-term behaviour of wood and the structural complexity found in some older constructions. If the structure is degraded due to the action of wood-boring insects, the complexity of the analysis increases. The objective of this work was to evaluate the impact of anobiid beetles’ attack on old timber structures. One major difficulty concerns the assessment of the effective strength of timber cross sections with anobiid damage. This happens because beetles’ attack produces a diffuse damage, with a set of tunnels in random directions.

Compression parallel to the grain and screw withdrawal tests have been made in pine naturally degraded by anobiids (natural samples – NS) and in pine with artificially bored galleries (artificial samples – AS). 216 samples were tested (97 to screw withdrawal and 119 to compression). The original density of NS is unknown. For AS, 0.7% and 1.4% of lost material was simulated. Screw withdrawal and compression force values were related with density for AS (𝑟2 = 0.52 for compression; 𝑟2 = 0.56 for screw withdrawal). The results show a significant variation between the average results obtained both to the compression (42.9 MPa – AS; 27.2 MPa – NS) and to the pull- out (3.4 KN – AS; 2.2 KN – NS).

Although there was an attempt to simulate the degradation by woodworm with the AS, with known density, the test results were significantly different from those obtained for the NS, where the percentage of lost material is unknown, as well as initial density. Thus, knowledge of residual timber density seems to be paramount to know the level of deterioration and the real impact of this on a structure. Further developments on this issue are ongoing.
Traditional techniques on masonry buildings that improve performance under seismic risk
Authors: Mascarenhas Jorge , Belgas Lurdes , Branco Fernando G.
Published: February 2021

Some regions of mainland Portugal, especially the southern region, are exposed to considerable seismic hazard. There is also a wide variety of building typologies, including structures of masonry and wood, masonry and reinforced concrete and reinforced concrete built in different times and with different degrees of seismic vulnerability. In the last few years, there was a significant growth in the number of building rehabilitation projects in historic centres of Portuguese cities. Some of these interventions are founded on well-conceived projects which take into account the date of construction and the original construction methods and materials, however, there are somewhat legal procedures which seriously undermine the safety of renovated buildings decreasing their seismic performance. This paper illustrates some provisions on traditional building techniques that ensure a better performance of buildings during an earthquake. It also points out and illustrates some of the major mistakes in building rehabilitation that contribute to increase their seismic vulnerability.
Uncertainty in condition prediction of bridges based on assessment method – case study in Estonia
Authors: Sein Sander , Idnurm Juhan , Matos José C.
Published: February 2021

In this paper the uncertainty in condition assessment based on most common assessment methods, visual inspection and non-destructive testing, is investigated. For decision-making the averaged or estimated value is suitable, but if the basis of a decision is only a subjective visual inspection, then it could lead to a wrong decision. The second most traditional assessment method is non-destructive testing (NDT), which can give reliable results, but the interpretation of measurement is needed. To investigate the errors in both evaluations, benchmarking tests were carried out in Estonia within two groups, a group of experienced inspectors and a group of unexperienced students, to show how the importance of experience affects results. To present the influence of assessment uncertainty to condition prediction curves based on continuous-time Markov model are calculated and for updating, Bayesian inference procedure is used.