Combined Use of NDE, SHM, and Accelerated Structural Testing for Better Understanding of Deterioration Processes in Concrete Bridge Decks

摘要

Significant advances were made in recent years in nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies' efficiency for detecting and characterizing deterioration in bridge decks, including advances in automation of NDE data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Those advances enable more extensive and more frequently implemented data collection that will lead to a more objective description of the current condition and a more precise prediction of the progression of deterioration. Also, complementary use of multiple NDE technologies may assist in the identification of likely causes of deterioration. As such, the NDE data are becoming essential for the effective and economic management of bridges, concrete bridge decks in particular. Still, to develop NDE based deterioration and predictive models on both project and network levels, data from multiple surveys over a more extended period are lacking. It has also been shown that the bridge deck performance varies widely, even between bridges that are very close in age and that have similar traffic loads, designs, and climate conditions. It indicates that deterioration processes, since they are a result of multiple inputs and actions, are inherently complex. Therefore, other influences require an examination to provide complete answers regarding disparate bridge deck performance. Complementary use of NDE, structural health monitoring (SHM), and other technologies for local and global assessment of bridges opens opportunities for providing answers to the development of realistic deterioration models and comprehensive evaluation of factors influencing concrete bridge deck performance. The paper concentrates on the discussion of merging of the technologies in the achievement of two specific objectives: assessment of the influence of bridge superstructure on the deck performance using large mobile shakers, and the use of accelerated structural testing for fast and comprehensive development of an understanding of deterioration processes in concrete bridge decks.