Globally, bridges fail mostly due to hydrological causes such as scour or flooding. Therefore, under a hydrological approach, this study proposes a methodology that contributes to prioritize the intervention of bridges to prevent their collapse. Through an exhaustive literature review, an evaluation matrix subdivided into 4 dimensions was developed and a total of 18 evaluation parameters were considered, distributed as follows: 4 environmental, 6 technical, 4 social and 4 economic. This matrix was applied to eight bridges with a history of hydrological problems in the same river and validated through semi-structured interviews with specialists. Data were collected through field visits, journalistic information, review of the gauged basin historical hydrological flow rates and consultations with the population. Then, the modeling, which considered the influence of gullies that discharge additional flow, was carried out using HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS and subsequently calibrated. The application of the matrix revealed that five bridges have a high vulnerability, and three bridges have a medium vulnerability. The multidimensional approach can be adapted for studies of other riverine bridges.

A large number of bridges are designed and built without considering seismic actions and, differently from buildings, there are currently no comprehensive guidelines to evaluate existing bridges without performing, as in the well known incremental dynamic analysis (IDA), complex non linear dynamic analyses (RHA). Bridges are structurally very different from building but, at the same time, are sensitive to higher modes as well as many multi-storey buildings that inspired innovative pushover procedures such as the well known modal pushover analysis (MPA). In the present study the incremental modal pushover analysis (IMPA), a pushover based approach already proposed and applied on buildings by the same authors, is revised and proposed for bridges (IMPAβ). IMPAβ accounts for the effects of higher modes in order to accurately estimate the seismic response of bridges; the effect of higher modes is considered by introducing a suitable number of modes to ensure the participation of a predefined total effective modal mass. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by conducting a study on two bridges, one regular and one irregular, and the IDA analysis is employed as reference solution. Numerical results indicate good accuracy of the proposed method in assessing the seismic response and a very good accuracy if compared to other available pushover procedures available in the literature.

Bridges enable communications and transportation of goods nationally and internationally, underpinning economic and social activities, thus they are pylons of our prosperity and mobility. Bridges worldwide are constantly subjected to physical wear, ageing, deterioration, hazards, environmental influences, and increased loading. Loss of performance and functionality of bridge structures would have a crucial impact on overall infrastructural resilience and would cause significant negative economic and social consequences. Monitoring their behaviour for different loading conditions relies on accurate estimations of the stress-strain state of various critical components and remaining capacities. These activities are of high importance for better planning lifespan prolongation, that is the extension of their service life and prevention of unforeseen collapses, in line with sustainability principles of well-informed maintenance. In many cases, access to the structure is limited or even impossible, which causes the need for the deployment of remote and contactless methods. One such innovative technique, which has recently attracted attention in scientific and practical applications is the digital image correlation (DIC). DIC is a contactless approach applicable for long-term measurements, which enables obtaining the full field of strains and deformations. Although the DIC approach has been widely used in world engineering practice for monitoring bridges and has proved to be a reliable and accurate method, there is a lack of systematic integral review on previous practical applications, revealing limitations and perspectives. This is the main motivation and novelty of this study, which will describe selected case studies, in which DIC was used on real full-scale bridge structures and propose improvements for the method.

Based on recent contributions regarding the treatment of unsteady hydraulic conditions into the state-of-the-art of scour literature, the theoretically derived probability distribution of bridge scour is introduced. The model is derived assuming a rectangular hydrograph shape with a given duration, and random flood peak following a Gumbel distribution. A model extension for a more complex flood event is also presented, assuming a synthetic exponential hydrograph shape. The mathematical formulation can be extended to any flood-peak probability distribution. The aim of the manuscript is to move forward the current approaches adopted for the bridge design coupling hydrological, hydraulic, and erosional models in a mathematical closed form.

High-performance insulation and airtight building envelopes are the two most important factors to optimize the building energy efficiency and thermal performance. However, thermal performance of building envelopes can be significantly affected by thermal bridging. Thermal bridges can take place at different locations of the building envelope, causing added transmission losses, increasing heat flow, lower inner surface temperatures. Thermal bridges are regarded in all national regulations for new buildings of all states of European Union (EU) but there are no specifications assessing balconies to wall junctions and the impact on the building thermal performance is not well regulated. In this paper, balcony to wall thermal bridge assessment using infrared thermography is highlighted. The originality is that, infrared thermography, has been applied to a real living latest building in the north east of France showing that there is noncompliance in the national regulations as some exigencies are not met. Thermography of thermal break windows and window doors has also revealed air leakage. The goal, is to illustrate that thermal imaging is a means of quality assurance to new building specifications and should include a clause specifying quality assurance procedure for balconies junction in national building regulations for all states if the EU.

The results of experimental studies of ohmic conductivity degradation in the ensembles of nanostructured anatase bridges under long-term effect of direct current are presented. Stochastic sets of interelectrode partially conducting bridges consisting of close-packed anatase nanoparticles were formed by the seeding particles from drying aqueous suspensions on the surfaces of silica substrates with interdigital platinum electrodes. Multiple-run experiments at room temperature have shown that ohmic conductivity degradation in these systems is irreversible. It is presumably due to accumulated capture of conduction electrons by deep traps in anatase nanoparticles. The scaling analysis of voltage drops across the samples at the final stage of degradation gives a critical exponent for ohmic conductivity as 1.597. This value satisfactorily agrees with the reported model data for percolation systems. At an early stage of degradation, the spectral density of conduction current fluctuations wihin the frequency range of 0.01 Hz - 1 Hz decreases approximately as , while near the percolation threshold the decrease trend changes to . This transition is interpreted in terms of an increasing contribution of blockages and subsequent avalanche-like breakdowns of part of the local conduction channels in the bridges into electron transport near the percolation threshold.

This research aims to introduce a new technique, off-site and self-form segmental concrete masonry arches fabrication, without the need of construction formwork or centering. The innovative construction method in the current study encompasses two construction materials forms the self-form masonry arches, wedge-shape plain concrete voussoirs, and Carbon Fibers Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) composites. The employment of CFRP fabrics was for two main reasons; bond the voussoirs and forming the masonry arches. However, CFRP proved to be efficient for strengthening the extrados of the arch rings under service loadings. An experimental test conducted on four sophisticated masonry arch specimens. Research parameters were using thicker keystone as well as the partial strengthening of the self-form arch ring at the intrados. Major test finding was the use of thicker Keystone, alter the behavior of the self-form arch, considerably increased the load carrying capacity by 79%. Partial strengthening of the intrados with CFRP fabrics of typical arch ring Keystone resulted considerable increased the debonding load of fabrication CFRP sheets by 81%, increase the localized crushing load by 13%, and considerably increase voussoir sliding load by 107%.

Transporting water from one side of a valley or gorge to the other requires construction of an aqueduct bridge or elevated aqueduct. These features are striking elements on cultural landscapes. Unlike previous research that emphasized architecture or design and relied on documentary sources and published works, this study focuses on details of construction and first-hand observation. Roman and Medieval elevated aqueducts in Spain were subjected to rigorous field examination. Marked variations were found to exist between structures of each age. No two aqueduct bridges are alike indicating the absence of standard designs. Locally available materials were used. Construction seems to have been overseen and carried out by individuals who possessed inconsistent degrees of skill. Roman treatises discussed aqueduct bridges, but not how to build them. Many palaces were clearly designed and built by highly skilled personnel during Medieval times, but more mundane public works projects such as aqueducts appear to have been carried out by less-skilled individuals. These findings have implications regarding the construction of elevated aqueducts by Spaniards in the Americas during the 16th century.

In the article, the authors presented the problem of the transition effect in bridge engineering, its causes, negative consequences, and suggested a solution involving the use of integral bridges with the embankment through a spatial bars structure using reinforced composite polymer material. Integral bridges are designed to collaborate with road or railway embankments in bearing loads. Additionally, their application minimizes maintenance and construction costs while enhancing durability. Current solutions in bridge engineering were described. It is predicted that the presented concept will reduce the amount of plastic waste and contribute to the long-term use of materials. The article emphasized the importance of sustainable development, recycling, and the potential application of substitute materials.

This paper uses probability method to evaluate the fire safety performance of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges based on simulation experimental research. Firstly, fire simulation experimental sample analysis was conducted on actual small box girder bridges to obtain the structural response of prestressed steel-concrete structures under fire, which is in line with engineering practice. Next, construct a reliability analysis model for the fire resistance performance of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges; Combining reliability theory with finite element method, establish a reliability analysis method for the fire resistance performance of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges. Subsequently, a safety factor evaluation model for the fire resistance performance of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges was proposed, and a safety factor evaluation method for the fire resistance performance of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges based on reliability back analysis was established. Finally, based on the analysis of the structural response after a fire in a specific case of a simply supported to continuous prestressed steel-concrete continuous beam bridge project, a structural resistance sample of the prestressed steel-concrete beam bridge is generated through uniform design method, and statistical analysis is conducted. Subsequently, probability methods are used to evaluate the safety of the prestressed steel-concrete beam bridge after a fire. Through analysis, it can be concluded that the time of fire has a significant impact on the structural performance of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges, and the randomness of parameters has a significant impact on the safety reserve of prestressed steel-concrete beam bridges after fire. It is necessary to pay attention to it in specific engineering practice and strengthen the monitoring and statistics of structural random characteristics.

Current bridge inspection practices rely on paper-based data acquisition, digitization, and multiple conversions in between incompatible formats to facilitate data exchange. This practice is time-consuming, error-prone, cumbersome, and leads to information loss. One aim for future inspection procedures is to have a fully digitized workflow that achieves loss-free data exchange, which lowers costs and offers higher efficiency. On the one hand, existing studies proposed methods to automatize data acquisition and visualization for inspections. These studies lack an open standard to make the gathered data available for other processes. On the other hand, several studies discuss data structures for exchanging damage information through out different stakeholders. However, those studies do not cover the process of automatic data acquisition and transfer. This study focused on a framework that incorporates automatic damage data acquisition, transfer, and a damage information model for data exchange. This enables inspectors to use damage data for subsequent analyses and simulations. The proposed framework shows the potentials for a comprehensive damage information model and related (semi-)automatic data acquisition and processing.

Given the documented wave-induced damage of elevated coastal decks during extreme natural hazards (e.g. hurricanes) in the last two decades, it is of utmost significance to decipher the wave-structure-interaction of complex deck geometries and quantify the associated loads. Therefore, this study focuses on the assessment of solitary wave impact on open-girder decks that allow the air to escape from the sides. To this end, an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) numerical method with a multi-phase compressible formulation is used for the development of three-dimensional hydrodynamic models, which are validated against a large-scale experimental dataset of a coastal deck. Using the validated model as a baseline, a parametric investigation of different deck geometries with a varying number of girders Ng and three different widths, was conducted. The results reveal that the Ng of a superstructure has a complex role and that for small wave heights the horizontal and uplift forces increase with the Ng, while for large waves the opposite happens. If the Ng is small the wave particles accelerate after the initial impact on the offshore girder leading to a more violent slamming on the onshore part of the deck and larger pressures and forces, however, if Ng is large then unsynchronized eddies are formed in each chamber, which dissipate energy and apply out-of-phase pressures that result in multiple but weaker impacts on the deck. The decomposition of the total loads into slamming and quasi-static components, reveals surprisingly consistent trends for all the simulated waves, which facilitates the development of predictive load equations. These new equations, which are a function of Ng and are limited by the ratio of the wavelength to the deck width, provide more accurate predictions than existing empirical methods, and are expected to be useful to both engineers and researchers working towards the development of resilient coastal infrastructure.

Tough and antimicrobial dual-crosslinked poly((trimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate chloride)-phytic acid hydrogel (pTMAEMA-PA) has been synthesized by adding chemical crosslinker and docking physical crosslinker of multivalent phytic acid into a cationic polyelectrolyte network. By increasing the loading concentration of PA, the tough hydrogel exhibits compressive stress of >1 MPa, along with high elasticity and fatigue-resistant properties. The enhanced mechanical properties of pTMAEMA-PA were stem from multivalent ion effect of PA via the formation of ion bridges within polyelectrolytes. In addition, a comparative study for a series of pTMAEMA-counterion complexes was conducted to elaborate the relationship between swelling ratio and mechanical strength. The study also revealed secondary factors, such as ion valency, ion specificity and hydrogen bond formation, holding crucial roles in tuning mechanical properties of the polyelectrolyte hydrogel. Furthermore, in bacteria attachment and disk diffusion tests, pTMAEMA-PA exhibits superior fouling resistance and antibacterial capability. The results reflect the fact that PA enables chelating strongly with divalent metal ions, hence, disrupting the outer membrane of bacteria, as well as dysfunction of organelles, DNA and protein. Overall, the work demonstrated a novel strategy for preparation of tough polyelectrolyte with antibacterial capability via docking PA to open up the potential use of PA in medical application.

In this paper, we consider a fourth-order suspension bridge equation with nonlinear damping term |u_t|^m-2u_t and source term |u|^p-2u. We give necessary and sufficient condition for global existence and energy decay results without considering the relation between m and p. Moreover, when p>m, we give sufficient condition for finite time blow-up of solutions. The lower bound of the blow-up time T_max is also established. It worth to mention that our obtained results extend the recent results of Wang (J. Math. Anal. Appl., 2014) to the nonlinear damping case.

New or in-service truss bridges, with or without upper bracing systems, may display instability phenomena such as general lateral torsional buckling of the upper chord. The buckling of structural elements, particularly in the case of steel bridges, can be associated with the risk of collapse or temporary/permanent withdrawal from service. Buckling poses a significant danger as it often occurs at lower load values compared to those considered during the design phase. Additionally, this phenomenon can manifest suddenly, without prior warning, rendering intervention for its prevention impossible or futile. In contemporary times, most research and design calculation software offer the capability to establish preliminary values for buckling loads, even for highly intricate structures. This is typically achieved through linear eigenvalue buckling analyses, often followed by significantly more complex large displacement nonlinear analyses. However, interpreting the results for complex bridge structures can be challenging, and their accuracy is difficult to ascertain. Consequently, the objective of this paper is to introduce an original method for a more straightforward estimation of the buckling load of the upper chord in steel truss bridges. The method utilizes the theory of beams on an elastic foundation. The buckling load of the upper chord was determined using both the finite element method and the proposed methodology, yielding highly consistent results.

Steel structures, such as bridges, must be continuously maintained. Due to increasing trac loads, design and execution shortcomings, many steel bridges are subject to various types of damage, such as cracks. The bridges must be maintained by crack removal and re-welding the cracks. During this work, the bridge is closed for trac in order to suppress the crack ank movement during welding. As a result, trac loads on other routes are higher, which increases further damage on detour routes and subsequently additional welding work and costs on theses structures. Therefore, the aim is to provide a method that allows welding work on steel structures under running trac, respectively under cyclic loads. First, measurements at a representative steel bridge were conducted to derive gap opening parameters of amplitude and frequency for welding tests under cyclic loads. In a test setup for reproducible and comparable welding tests, specimen were welded under cyclic loads. Deep grinding of the root layer allowed defect-free welding within the range of 0.1 mm amplitude at a frequency of 2 Hz loadings. For such welds, the weld quality and the fatigue strength was comparable to the standard requirements.

This paper proposes a method for monitoring the structural health of concrete bridges in Iran. In this method, the bridge condition index (BCI) of bridges is determined by the analytical hierarchy process. BCI constitutes eight indices that are scored based on the experts' views, including structural, hydrology and climate, safety, load impact, geotechnical and seismicity, strategic importance, facilities, and traffic and pavement. Experts' views were analyzed by Expert Choice software, and the relative importance (weight) of indices were determined using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Then, the gave scores of experts were assigned to indices for various conditions. Bridge inspectors can examine the bridge, determine the scores of indices, and compute BCI. Higher values of BCI ​​indicate better conditions. Therefore, bridges with lower BCI take priority in maintenance activities. Five bridges in Iran, Semnan province, were selected as the case studies, and BCI calculation of these bridges was conducted.

The assessment of existing bridges constitutes a serious challenge for the researchers since their safety evaluation is a complex task due to several sources of uncertainty affecting the parameters identified in the knowledge process. In particular, a high level of uncertainties may arise in the case of prestressing systems requiring special investigation strategies and experimental technologies. The paper aims to investigate how the knowledge uncertainties influence the safety assessment of existing post-tensioned bridges. The semi-probabilistic approach is used, and uncertainties related to the knowledge process are described considering the number of tests, the confidence level assumed for the estimation of the problem parameters, and the measurement errors of in-situ tests. Results concerning a typical post-tensioned bridge are reported and the variability of the outcomes is discussed and compared with a reference case of “perfect knowledge”. The main results of the study confirm the general robustness of the semi-probabilistic Eurocodes safety format and provide an overview of dispersion due to different choices about the number of tests and confidence level. The measurement errors may lead to significant under-estimation of the computed structural capacity with respect to the reference one.

This paper proposes a method for determining the bridge condition index (BCI) in concrete bridges, which is based on the views of bridge experts. First, eight indices were defined for a concrete bridge including structure, hydrology, safety, load impact, geotechnical and seismicity, strategic importance, facilities, and finally traffic and pavement. Each index consists of several sub-indices. Next, a series of questionnaires about the relative importance of indices and their sub-indices were prepared and distributed among bridge experts. Experts’ views were analyzed by Expert Choice software and the relative importance (weight) of each index and each sub-index was determined using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Then, based on experts’ views, an average score was assigned to each sub-index for any condition. Now the bridge inspectors can examine the bridge and determine the scores of sub-indices. Each index’s score is the sum of the weighted score assigned to its’ sub-indices and BCI is the sum of weighted scores assigned to indices. Higher values of BCI indicate a better condition. Therefore, bridges with lower BCI take priority in maintenance activities. To apply the proposed method, five bridges were selected in Semnan province, Iran, and BCI calculation of these bridges were conducted.

Acoustic emission monitoring (AEM) has emerged as an effective technique for detecting wire-breaks resulting from, e.g., stress corrosion cracking, and its application on prestressed concrete bridges is increasing. The success of this monitoring measure depends crucially on a carefully designed sensor layout. For this the attenuation of elastic waves within the structure’s material is determined ideally in-situ through object-related measurements with a reproducible signal source, typically a rebound-hammer. This assumes that the attenuation coefficients derived from rebound-hammer tests are comparable to those from wire-breaks, thus allowing their results to be directly applied to wire-break detection without further adjustments. This study challenges this assumption by analysing attenuation behaviour through an extensive dataset. Employing time-domain and frequency analysis, the research generates attenuation profiles from laboratory experiments and in-situ measurements across various girders and bridge structures, extracting the slope and standard deviation of the residuals. While generally validating this approach, the findings highlight differences in attenuation behaviour from among wire-break signals and rebound-hammer impulses, whereby the latter potentially underestimates the relevant attenuation of wire-breaks by approximately 20 %. Consequently, a transfer factor is proposed to adjust object-related measurement results for wire-break scenarios, including a variance of 1.0 dB/m to cover a 95 % confidence interval for sample scattering. Moreover, the anisotropic attenuation behaviour across different structures was studied, showing that transverse attenuation consistently exceeds the longitudinal, significantly influenced by structural features such as voids. In prefabricated concrete bridges with in-situ-cast concrete slabs, transverse signal transmission remains unhindered across multiple elements. Finally, the results provide a valuable reference for the design of sensor layouts in bridge monitoring, particularly benefiting scenarios where direct in-situ experiences are lacking.

The seismic damage in reinforced concrete bridges is identified in this study using the "M and P" hybrid technique initially developed for planar frames. The proposed methodology involves a series of pushover and instantaneous modal analyses with a progressively increasing target deck displacement along the longitudinal direction of the bridge. From the results of these analyses, the diagram of the instantaneous eigenfrequency of the bridge, ranging from the health state to near collapse, is plotted against the inelastic seismic deck displacement. By pre-determining the eigen-frequency of an existing bridge along its longitudinal direction through "monitoring and frequency identification", the target deck displacement corresponding to the damage state can directly be found from this diagram. Subsequently, the damage can be identified by examining the results of the pushover analysis at the step where the target deck displacement is indicated. The effectiveness of this proposed technique is evaluated in the context of multiple span bridges with unequal pier heights, illustrated through an example of a four-span bridge. The findings demonstrate that the damage potential in bridge piers can be successfully identified by combining the results of a monitoring process and pushover analysis.

The subject of the research is the investigation of the behavior of railway tracks in locations with a significant change in the stiffness of the track. These locations can be designed from various structural elements and their materials, and this mainly results in a height change of the track level during its operation. These transition zones are monitored and expertly examined in order to detect undesirable deformations of the geometrical position of the track caused by the trains running. The transition zones are at the points where the fixed track transitions to the classic track bed, in our case it is their combination with bridge structures, especially at their supports. In Slovakia, under the conditions of the Railways of the Slovak Republic, the issue is topical within the framework of the modernization of trans-European railway corridors. The results of experimental measurements and their analysis will provide relevant data for subsequent research solutions for their new numerical modeling, which will ensure a smooth passage through these points of change without height fluctuations, vibrations, and shocks from the wheels of train sets.

In the Netherlands, the assessment of existing prestressed concrete slab-between-girder bridges showed that the thin, transversely prestressed slabs may be critical for static and fatigue punching when evaluated using the recently introduced Eurocodes. On the other hand, compressive membrane action increases the capacity of these slabs and changes the failure mode from bending to punching shear. To improve the assessment of the existing prestressed slab-between-girder bridges in the Netherlands, two 1:2 scale models of an existing bridge, the Van Brienenoord Bridge, were built in the laboratory and tested monotonically as well as under cycles of loading. The result of these experiments is: 1) the static strength of the decks, showing that compressive membrane action significantly enhances the punching capacity, and 2) the Wöhler curve of the decks, showing that compressive membrane action remains under fatigue loading. The experimental results can then be used for the assessment of the most critical existing slab-between-girder bridge. The outcome is that the bridge has sufficient punching capacity for static and fatigue loads, and thus that the existing slab-between-girder bridges in the Netherlands fulfil the code requirements for static and fatigue punching.

Epoxy asphalt (EA) concrete is widely used in constructing long-span steel bridge pavements (SBDPs). This study aims to derive a fatigue damage evolution law, conducting an experimental investigation of SBDP. First, a general theoretical form of the fatigue damage evolution law of materials is established based on the thermal motion of atoms. Then, fatigue experiments demonstrate that this evolution law well represents the known damage–life relationships of SBDP. Taking into account the experimental relationships between damage and fatigue life under symmetrical cyclic loadings with different overload amplitudes and temperature variations, a detailed damage evolution law is deduced. Finally, the role of damage accumulation is discussed on the basis of the proposed damage evolution law for the extreme situation of heavy overload and severe environments. The results show that both heavy loading and falling temperatures increase the fatigue damage of SBDP considerably; therefore, SBDP should avoid heavy loading combined with winter temperatures. EA shows a fatigue life two to three times longer than that of modified matrix asphalt (SMA) or guss asphalt (GA). For the same thickness, EA pavement is demonstrated to be more suitable for an anti-fatigue design of large-span SBDP under high traffic flows and low temperatures.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is critical for ensuring the safety of infrastructures like bridges. This article presents a digital twin solution for SHM of railway bridges using low-cost wireless accelerometers and Machine Learning (ML). The system architecture combines edge on-premises computing and cloud analytics to enable efficient real-time monitoring and complete storage of relevant time-history datasets. After train crossings, accelerometers stream raw vibration data, which is processed in the frequency domain and analyzed via machine learning to detect anomalies indicating potential structural issues. The digital twin approach is demonstrated on an in-service railway bridge, where vibration data was collected over two years under normal operating conditions. By learning allowable ranges for vibration patterns, the digital twin model identifies abnormal spectral peaks, suggesting changes in structural integrity. The long-term pilot proves that this affordable SHM system can provide automated and real-time warning of bridge damage and also supports the use of in-house designed sensors of lower-cost and edge computing capabilities than those used in the demonstration. The successful on-premises-cloud hybrid implementation provides a cost effective and scalable model for expanding monitoring to thousands of railway bridges, democratizing SHM to improve safety by avoiding catastrophic failures.