Capture and Quantification of Deterioration Progression in Concrete Bridge Decks through Periodical NDE Surveys
Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 23, Issue 1
Abstract
Monitoring the condition of concrete bridge decks is essential because bridge decks are deteriorating faster than other bridge components. This study concentrated on bridge deck condition assessment using complementary nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. The assessment had three main components: evaluation of the corrosive environment and corrosion processes, concrete degradation evaluation, and assessment with respect to deck delamination. Five NDE techniques were used: impact echo (IE) to detect and characterize delamination, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) to describe the corrosive environment, measurement of the concrete cover and description of its overall condition, half-cell potential (HCP) to assess corrosion activity, ultrasonic surface waves (USW) to describe concrete quality, and electrical resistivity (ER) to estimate corrosion rate. The ability of NDE methods to objectively characterize deterioration progression is illustrated by the results from four NDE surveys of a bridge in Virginia during a period of five and a half years. The results, which include condition maps and condition indices, demonstrate the ability of NDE technologies to accurately and objectively detect and quantify deterioration progression. Results from periodical NDE surveys show a high potential for development of more realistic deterioration and lifecycle cost models for bridge decks.
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Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely acknowledge the support for the LTBP Program provided by the FHWA, especially Drs. Hamid Ghasemi and Robert Zobel. The authors are also grateful to the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) for its cooperation in providing access to the Haymarket Bridge. Finally, the authors are grateful to the previous and current research staff at Rutgers’ Center for Advanced Infrastructure and Transportation (CAIT), especially Drs. Sabine Kruschwitz and Seong-Hoon Kee, Ruediger Feldmann, Hooman Parvardeh, Kenneth Lee, Shane Mott, and Insung Hwang, for their help during the five-year data collection.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 23 • Issue 1 • March 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 30, 2015
Accepted: Apr 15, 2016
Published online: Jun 17, 2016
Discussion open until: Nov 17, 2016
Published in print: Mar 1, 2017
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