Evaluation of Damage in RC Bridge Decks Reinforced with Steel Plates under Dynamic Wheel-loading Test by means of AE Activities

摘要

The aging of infrastructures has been one of the most serious problems in Japan. Some of severe cases are found in the RC bridge decks, peculiarly reinforced by steel plates on the bottom, as their conditions are difficult to be evaluated by the visible inspection or conventional non-destructive testing (NDT). In present study, RC bridge decks reinforced with steel plates under service were evaluated by the analysis of AE activities and AE tomography method. In order to ensure the safety of bridges and reduce life-cycle cost, the grasp of deterioration process and a conventional NDT is desired. To this end, internal damage of RC decks reinforced with steel plates due to fatigue is reproduced experimentally by wheel-loading test. Then the damage process is evaluated by AE tomography method quantitatively and visually.