SHM: Nails, Nuts, and More

摘要

Structural health monitoring (SHM) approaches and nondestructive examination (NDE) methods are toolboxes which can be called upon to address a broad variety of issues for bridge structures. But just as with a regular tool box not every problem is a nail requiring a hammer or a nut requiring a wrench. Beginning with planning and design, options to preserve, maintain, repair, and rehabilitate may be exercised or skipped due to lack of actionable condition assessment data and rates of deterioration except for that afforded by visual inspection and experience. Circumstances often dictate whether use of SHM or NDE is appropriate and cost-effective. These circumstances might be technical, programmatic, budgetary, or political.