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Reliability assessment of existing bridge constructions based on results of non-destructive testing
(2018)
The non-destructive testing methods available for civil engineering (NDT-CE) enable the measurements of quantitative parameters, which realistically describe the characteristics of existing buildings. In the past, methods for quality evaluation and concepts for validation expanded into NDT-CE to improve the objectivity of measured data. Thereby, a metrological foundation was developed to collect statistically sound and structurally relevant information about the inner construction of structures without destructive interventions. More recently, the demand for recalculations of structural safety was identified. This paper summarizes a basic research study on structural analyses of bridges in combination with NDT. The aim is to use measurement data of nondestructive testing methods as stochastic quantities in static calculations. Therefore, a methodical interface between the guide to the expression of uncertainty in measurement and probabilistic approximation procedures (e.g. FORM) has been proven to be suitable. The motivation is to relate the scientific approach of the structural analysis with real information coming from existing structures and not with those found in the literature. A case study about the probabilistic bending proof of a reinforced concrete bridge with statistically verified data from ultrasonic measurements shows that the measuring results fulfil the requirements concerning precision, trueness, objectivity and reliability.
The reassessment of bridges is becoming increasingly important. The basic requirement for analyses of structural safety is reliable knowledge about individual structures. This paper introduces the new approach to evaluate the quality of measured data gained from non-destructive testing (NDT) to provide reliable, objective, and relevant information about existing bridges. The purpose is to relate this validated knowledge to probabilistic analyses. Bridging the gap between NDT and numerical reassessments indicates reduced numerical uncertainties and residual service time extensions. This paper deals with an application of this approach using measurement data collected by ultrasonic technique at a prestressed concrete bridge.
Increasing requirements on the infrastructure caused by more and heavier traffic coincide with both the aging and the progressive degradation of bridge constructions. These exemplary issues lead to a non-negligible need for reassessments of existing bridges. Compared to the new building design, safety reserves can be used in the evaluation of such existing structures, since uncertainties that may arise during the design, construction and previous Service time are better known or no longer present. Uncertainties can be evaiuated more precisely by measurements. In the meantime, the application of advanced NDT-methods on concrete structures have become so capable, that crucial structure Parameters like certain material properties or geometrical dimensions can be quantified without significant destructive interventions. The measured data can be explicitly incorporated into the probabilistic computation models used for the bridge reassessment in form of random variables. Therewith, a previously insufficient model can be refined to achieve a higher level of approximation. This contribution emphasises two fundamental steps of the measured data based probabilistic reassessment: The sensitivity analyses to identify the cruciai Parameters and the needed accuracy of the related information as well as the comparison with expected uncertainties of non-destructively measured Parameters.
"The reassessment of bridges continues to take great importance both nationally and internationally. A major challenge is to find computation models reflecting the actual properties of the considered structures sufficiently accurate. Besides regular inspections, the conduction of advanced measurements is suitable to generate reliable information about a structure to be assessed. Prior to incorporating measurement results in reassessment, the relevance, the trueness, and the precision of the measured information needs to be stated. On the one hand, the use of information whose quality has not been assessed can lead to errors with serious consequences. On the other, the measurement of irrelevant information is inefficient. Although the use of measured data in assessment is currently mostly unregulated, their appreciation in reliability analyses is beneficial since the built environment can be assessed more realistically. Utilizing NDT in reassessment has the potential to extend remaining lifetimes of a structure, save resources, and improve infrastructural availabilities. The power of judgment regarding the decision on the reliability of an existing structure can be increased.
In this contribution, an approach is outlined to process non-destructively gathered measurement data in a comparableway in order to include themeasured information in probabilistic reliability assessments of existing structures. An essential part is the calculation of measurement uncertainties. The effect of incorporating evaluated NDT-results is demonstrated by means of a prestressed concrete bridge and GPR measurements conducted on this bridge as a case-study. The bridge is assessed regarding SLS Decompression using the NDT-results."