Sewer Deterioration Modelling: Difficulties and Challenges

摘要

Sewer deterioration modelling is an integral part of infrastructure asset management. Deterioration models are used to predict the future condition of an asset and to estimate future funding requirements. They can also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of maintenance and rehabilitation techniques, and to support life-cycle cost analysis. Effective modelling can help public owners develop a cohesive and effective asset management system that reduces disruption to traffic and minimizes construction costs. Many different models, both stochastic and deterministic, have been developed and applied to sewer deterioration. A comparison of three contrasting methods used to model sewer deterioration: generalized linear models, Markov models and neural networks, will be presented. A brief description of each model, examples of its application, and an overall evaluation of its advantages and disadvantages with respect to sewer deterioration modelling is included. While the intention is not to find the best model, it is expected that this study will provide readers with insight into the difficulties, challenges and choices to be made when developing a sewer deterioration model.