bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Experience and status of instrumented durability monitoring of concrete bridges in Norway
Authors: Hornbostel Karla , Vasshaug Kristin 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWithin the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the use sensors of durability monitoring (potentials, corrosion rates, resistivity etc.) was first investigated during a research project on a North Norwegian bridge in the beginning of the 1990s. The knowledge earned from this initial test has been used to compile national recommendations shortly after. Still, durability sensors are seldom used on bridges in Norway today, apart from systems for cathodic protection where potential measurements are frequently executed. During the 1990s to 2020s, durability monitoring was several times applied in research projects and results show how sensors effectively can be used to assess corrosion and durability in concrete elements. To promote the use of durability sensors, the Norwegian Concrete Repair Association newly published a guideline on how to use, install and analyze durability monitoring systems.The paper summarized experience with the use of sensors for durability monitoring on Norwegian bridges and research projects. Today, there is an increasing demand for solutions allowing the automated monitoring for bridge safety and durability. The status and possible further applications of durability sensors on Norwegian bridges are briefly discussed at the end of the paper.
Updated load models for short‐span road bridges in the range of 2‐15 m
Authors: Treacy Mark , Brühwiler Eugen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn recent years, increased effort has focused on developing traffic load models for the safety verification of existing road bridges. In Switzerland for example, this was achieved by updating the alpha reduction factors in the Traffic Load Model 1 (LM1) for new bridges (analogous to the Eurocode LM1 alpha factors), providing a practica approach. The enveloping of the maximum simulated alpha factors, which were calculated by applying measured vehicles to different traffic scenarios, spans and bridge cross‐section types, resulted in the updated LM1 in the SIA 269/1 Standard for Existing Structures. The model development considered spans in the range of 10‐80 m and applied dynamic amplifications as a function of the gross vehicle weight. One limitation of the current updated LM1 is that, as a very high proportion of existing road bridges have spans of less than 15 m, the load effects in this short‐span range tend to be overly conservative. This paper studies the load effect behaviour in the longitudinal and transverse directions, based on actual traffic from Weigh‐in‐Motion (WIM) data. The study utilises all WIM data recorded in Switzerland over the last 10 years. Results from three new short‐span load models are presented which, together, envelope the extreme load effects. A parametric study is presented which highlights some conservatism in the existing code load models. Finally, a case study project is presented, in which these updated models were used to verify the structural safety of a historic road bridge.
Toward a BIM‐based procedure for the evaluation of a risk prioritization class of bridge structures
Authors: Casto Milena , Perrone Daniele , Nascimbene Roberto , Micelli Francesco , Calvi Paolo , Aiello Maria Antonietta 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBuilding Information Modelling is receiving increasing attention as an emerging technology for enhancing the life‐cycle performance of facilities. The cooperation between all professionals involved in the construction chain allows to reproduce digital twins of the structures including information related to different disciplines, such as structural and architectural aspects. In this context, the use of Building Information Modelling, combined with an automatic tool to predict risk indices, could be particularly useful when dealing with existing bridges due to the significant structural deficiencies recently demonstrated by numerous bridge collapses worldwide. This paper explores the development of a BIM‐based procedure to bring greater value in the design, construction, maintenance, and inspection stages. The procedure is applied to existing bridges and it allows to estimate a structural risk prioritization class of bridges according to maintained activities, periodical inspections, structural detailing and modelling uncertainties. The automatic BIM‐based tool uses a workflow developed in Dynamo, and is able to automatically update the structural risk class and to provide warning if the structural safety index exceed defined thresholds.
Structural Assessment of a Post‐Tensioned Box Girder Bridge affected by Concrete Creep
Authors: Sconocchia Giuseppe Galassi , Mariani Francesco , Meoni Andrea , Ierimonti Laura , Venanzi Ilaria , Ubertini Filippo 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe behavior of post‐tensioned concrete bridges is often influenced by time‐dependent phenomena, such as relaxation of prestressing steel, creep and shrinkage of concrete. For bridges built using the balanced cantilever method, the evolution of time‐dependent phenomena during the construction phase must be carefully considered. In common practice, the assessment of the structural safety of this bridge typology is a complex task due to the numerous factors and uncertainties involved in the evaluation process. Numerical models can be adopted to perform structural analyses at successive phases over bridges' lifetime, while destructive and non‐destructive evaluation methods are used to gather information to ensure that the numerical model matches the actual behavior of the bridge. In this context, this paper presents the structural behavior assessment of a multi‐span post‐tensioned box girder bridge with vertically prestressed internal joints. A numerical model was constructed to investigate on the effect of creep and construction phases on the actual stress/strain conditions of the bridge. To reduce model‐based uncertainties, compression tests were carried out on concrete cores extracted from the structure and the results of static load tests were used for model validation purposes.
Experimental study on the failure process of large shear key joints based on NDT methods
Authors: Li Shengtao , Casas Joan R. , Chen Xudong , Sun Yangyang , Liu Duo 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDry joints with keys are often used in precast concrete segmental bridges (PCSBs) to transfer shear stresses. Large dry joints with keys can often provide greater shear bearing capacity, which can meet the needs of rapid construction and simple assembly. This study focuses on the shear response of super‐sized dry joints with keys under direct shear. Various monitoring methods, including digital image correlation (DIC) and distributed optical fiber sensing (DFOS), were used to systematically study the stress process of large concrete keys. The results show that as the size of the key teeth increases, the shear bearing capacity and ultimate vertical displacement of the specimens also increase. DIC and DFOS techniques provide detailed information on key tooth failure, which is beneficial for subsequent stress analysis of shear keys.
Durability Assessment of the Laureano Gómez Bridge: a Key Element for New Colombian Infrastructure
Authors: Hernandez Juan Daniel Cassiani , Dugarte Margareth , Keβler Sylvia , Arteta Carlos 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe durability of reinforced concrete bridges is crucial for ensuring their long‐term functionality and safety. Among the various deterioration mechanisms, carbonation and chlorides are the most significant and widespread problems affecting these structures. This paper aims to assess the durability condition of the historical Colombian Bridge “Laureano Gómez”, which has been in service for over 40 years. The condition assessment involved measurements of the concrete cover, carbonation depths, concrete resistivity, compressive strength, crack survey, and visual inspection of the steel surface. Estimating the remaining service life showed that the stay elements are the most prone to steel depassivation due to carbonation, primarily due to low concrete cover and exposure conditions. The insights from this study could provide valuable information for the durability prognosis of the new bridge built next to it.
DENSE SENSING ON ROAD BRIDGES NETWORK: NEW APPROACH TO DATA‐INFORMED ASSESSMENT
Authors: Daró Paola , Alovisi Isabella , Mancini Giuseppe , Longo Monica , La Mazza Dario , Cigada Alfredo 
Published: September 2023

AbstractHazards, ageing, damaging, and traffic loads increase are some of the growing risks that bridge infrastructures in Europe face throughout their design life. Key issues of the asset management plan are the safety assessment of existing structures, the prioritization of the interventions and the optimization of the maintenance schedules. As such, to enable appropriate diagnostics and cost‐effective decisions on assessment/repairs, timely and accurate information from monitoring, inspection and testing is essential. This paper outlines the strategic role of SHM systems to identify the actual condition and future performance of the infrastructures, supporting an effective maintenance plan to meet the target reliability requirements. This contribution describes the use of dense sensing on an Italian bridges network of over 100 bridges, to account for monitoring in safety assessment, facilitating the application of proactive maintenance strategies through a deeper knowledge of the structural behaviour over time. Multiple case studies are detailed, where MEMS sensors have been installed with the purpose of monitoring the evolution of deterioration process, supporting a data‐informed structural diagnostics as well as providing evidence of the effectiveness of strengthening interventions.
Future perspectives of standardization for a safe European transport infrastructure
Authors: Allaix Diego Lorenzo , Vliet Agnieszka Bigaj‐van , Mancini Giuseppe , Daró Paola , Strauss Alfred , Bergmeister Konrad , Köhler Jochen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDue to insufficient quality control during construction, progressive ageing and deterioration of materials, growing traffic loads and additional risks originating from climate change or man‐made hazards, suboptimal maintenance strategies, an increase of risks to the transport infrastructure seems inevitable. Incidents like the collapse of the Morandi Bridge cannot be singled out: in the last two decades, around 40 bridges in Europe have collapsed or got severely damaged.Aiming to ensure the safety of the transport infrastructure through the improvement of maintenance policies across Europe, the European Commission opened the call for the Coordination and Support Action (CSA) “Monitoring and safety of transport infrastructure”. The main objective of this Action is to support the preparation of the mandate for CEN standards for maintenance and control of the European transport infrastructure. The execution of this Coordination and Support Action has been assigned to the IM‐SAFE project consortium.This contribution presents the input proposed by the IM‐SAFE project [1] for future European standards for monitoring, data‐informed safety assessment and proactive maintenance policies for bridges and tunnels, considering the integration of digitalization as enabling technology.
Data driven planning and approval processes of public road construction projects
Authors: Matthei Jonathan , Klemt‐Albert Katharina 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPlanning and approval processes in Germany still take many years in some cases. According to the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport digitalization must be used to pick up the pace and achieve progress. In this context, digital methods and applications such as a Common Data Environment (CDE) promise to accelerate and increase the efficiency of road construction projects. This paper first provides an illustration of the main purposes and functions of a CDE. This includes an in‐depth study of current national and international regulations. Subsequently, challenges and optimization opportunities related to the planning and approval process are identified. To this purpose, a quantitative research approach questioning employees from state and federal road construction administrations is carried out. This study identifies improvement potentials through a CDE application especially regarding tracing and transparency. According to the study, the planning and approval process needs to get digitalized, simplified and shorten. Therefore, future research needs to address the question of how to implement a cross‐country CDE for planning and approval processes that interfaces with various state and federal systems without displacing them.
Structural collapse assessment of the access bridge to Hydroelectric Plant “Pacífico Mascarenhas”
Authors: Carvalho Hermes , Gomes José , Montenegro Pedro , Correia José , Vilela Paula , Bittencourt Túlio , Oliveira Luiza 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe steel bridge popularly known as “Ponte da Usina”, is 54 meters long and is composed of 18 modules of 3 meters. Heavy rains that occurred on the night of 5 February 2013 at the top of the Serra do Cipó, caused an increase of the river level “Parauninha” of approximately 15 meters, causing destruction along its banks and the structural collapse of the bridge “Ponte da Usina”. This work describes the general bridge history and damages that have affected the structure in the past, the circumstances and the impacts of the collapse as well as the proposed alternatives for reconstruction of the collapsed bridge.
Modernising a monument: The challenges of strengthening and widening a structurally deficient road bridge under live traffic
Authors: Treacy Mark , Jokisch Frank , Brühwiler Eugen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe historic Port Weir Bridge over the Nidau‐Büren Canal in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, was inaugurated in 1938. This multi‐purpose structure serves as an important road bridge, a mechanised weir, a lock for canal boats, as well as a hydroelectric power station. During inspections in 2018, severe concrete damage and reinforcement corrosion were observed on this protected structure. Immediate temporary reinforcement measures were required as the conformity factors for structural safety at numerous locations were significantly below the minimum requirements. A project specific traffic load model allowed the temporary strengthening works to be limited to a few critical elements, thereby allowing the bridge to be reopened for heavy traffic in 2019 and then fully rehabilitated between 2020 and 2022. The renovation project involved an innovative reinforced UHPFRC strengthening of the existing T‐beam superstructure and a widening of the deck to bring the lane widths up to modern standards. This paper outlines the safety measures and the UHPFRC strengthening concepts applied, as well as some of the key construction challenges associated with maintaining road traffic on the bridge and traffic in the canal lock below the bridge during the construction works. Additionally, the UHPFRC strengthening concept is demonstrated by means of a design example.
Investigation, assessment, strategy for deck widening of existing HWY PT bridges
Authors: Zoratto Nadia , Giovenale Paolo , Buttarazzi Francesca , Lorenzo Alessandra Di 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAutostrade per l'Italia (ASPI) is planning the upgrading of several highway axis for approx. 150 km in the next years. Most of the original bridges, built around ‘60/‘70, have already been widened in the 90s but should now be widened again. The original decks are often made of a grid of post‐tensioned elements, while the further enlargements were built with different solutions (precast pre‐stressed beams or steel beams).To assess the material properties and the internal conditions of the post‐tensioned decks, several investigations with non‐destructive and semi‐destructive testing have been carried out, in accordance with Italian Guidelines.This paper illustrates the main results collected, also highlighting the difficulties encountered to achieve a sufficient understanding of the degradation conditions. The assessment process evidenced that for a large part of the post‐tensioned decks it was more convenient to intervene with the replacement of the existing decks rather than rehabilitate them. The main reasons supporting this choice are explained.
A Coupled Behaviour of Web and Flange on Bending Buckling of the Web of Steel Box Girder
Authors: IKEDA Miku , YAMAGUCHI Takashi , ARAI Shintaro , Hayashi Gen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn general, a web of the steel box girder is designed as an independent. However, in actual behaviour, since the web and the flange behave in couple, the web is considered to have a higher bending buckling strength than the designed standard due to the restraint by the flanges. Therefore, horizontal stiffeners for the web of the steel box girder might be omitted. In this study, focusing on the effect of the coupled behaviour of the web and flange on the bending buckling strength of the web of a box girder, FE analyses were carried out of steel box girder model with different structural configuration and of a panel model under identical boundary conditions as the design. From these results, it was found that the web of box girders without horizontal stiffeners have a higher bending buckling strength than the panel model due to restraint by the top of end of the web by the flange. In the case that buckling parameters of the flange are smaller than those critical buckling parameters, the influence of the bending buckling of the web of the box girder on the buckling strength of the flange is slight.
Effect of Surface Coating Condition on High‐friction Organic Zinc‐rich Paints for HSFB Joints
Authors: Zou Ying , Yamaguchi Takashi , Ueno Keita , Hiraoka Shinya 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWith the development of paints, high‐friction organic zinc‐rich paints with slip coefficients more than 0.45 have been advanced, making it possible to obtain more sophisticated and higher quality high strength bolted friction joints. Moreover, comparing to the inorganic zinc‐rich paints used at present, organic zinc‐rich paints are more appropriate for using in situ construction. However, since the application conditions of organic coatings have not been specified, it is recommended that a slip test should be carried out separately for each surface preparation to confirm the slip coefficient. In this study, slip tests were carried out on high strength bolted friction joint specimens to investigate the influence of high‐friction organic zinc rich paint film thickness and surface preparation on the slip coefficient. Furthermore, based on the experimental results, a surface preparation that can consistently produce a high slip coefficient is proposed.
Challenges in corrosion surveys on reinforced concrete structures – practical experiences from more than 20 years
Authors: Schneck Ulrich 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCorrosion related measurements on reinforced concrete structures are often easy to apply, and many guidelines indicate that a straight and formal handling of the received data is possible. But practical experience advises to be careful, since similar data readings can be caused by very different, even contradicting situations and hence require an individual, distinguished assessment. For example, negative potential values may be caused either by true, chloride induced corrosion or just by extremely wet concrete – without any possibility of active rebar corrosion. For avoiding wrong interpretations and improper repair strategies, the recommended approach is to obtain various, different parameters, including a sound visual and acoustical inspection, and to compare them thoroughly on a common, plausible pattern. The paper gives some examples where usual survey approaches basing on potential mapping and chloride sampling only would have resulted in either not recognizing the extent of corrosion problems properly or in concluding on severe problems that in fact do not exist.
Interoperable, platform independent structural health monitoring with long‐term availability
Authors: Krüger Markus , Pongratz Helmut , Lienhart Werner , Mülleder Thomas , Binder Fritz , Willeke Jan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWithin the FFG‐project PreMainSHM the area of preventive structural health monitoring is raised to a new level of networked systems. This applies not only to the networking of self‐sustaining sensors and their sensor data, but also to the networking and utilization of relevant information for the building condition assessment and building management. The paper presents and discusses the basic considerations in terms of data models and interfaces of cloud‐based systems to guarantee interoperability between different software systems and long‐term‐availability and accessibility not only of raw but also of and relevant meta and analysed data. The starting point for further developments is provided by the existing technologies of the involved partners, which is a GIS based infrastructure asset management system and wireless as well as fibre optic sensor systems from the authors. In order to obtain information relevant to the building management, suitable analysis and prognosis procedures are discussed. Data models and analysis tools are developed and integrated into an interoperable software framework in order to provide relevant status information that can be either assessed directly by web user interfaces in form of a georeferenced digital twin or that can be used in building management systems.
Virtual Axle Detector: Train Axle Localization based on Bridge Vibrations
Authors: Riedel Henrik , Lorenzen Steven Robert , Rupp Maximilian Michael , Fritzsche Max Alois , Schneider Jens 
Published: September 2023

AbstractInfrastructure worldwide is facing the challenge of aging bridges and increasing traffic loads. Prolonged serviceability and safety of these structures can be enabled by Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) methods. Knowledge of the actual operating loads is critical for evaluation of the remaining service life. However, direct measurement of the loads is challenging and requires a significant financial investment. Bridge Weigh‐In‐Motion (BWIM) methods use the structural response of bridge structures to determine loads, but generally rely on accurate knowledge of the position of loads as a function of time. Positions can be determined using conventional axle detectors, but their lifetime is limited, and their installation is expensive. To avoid these problems, we propose an improved Virtual Axle Detector (VAD) with Enhanced Receptive field (VADER) that can detect axles for all bridge types using accelerometers that can be placed anywhere along the bridge. The same data set with 3787 train passages recorded on a steel trough railway bridge under real operating conditions was used. Our results show that, in comparison with VAD, VADER reduces the number of undetected axles by over 79% and detects 99.5% of axles with an average spatial accuracy of 4.6 cm.