BRIDGES UNDER SURVEILLANCE

Experts are becoming concerned about the standard visual inspections and conventional bridge analysis currently used in traditional inspection of bridges. This article describes some expert detection systems being researched to spot structural flaws before disaster occurs. Work is reported that will eventually detect cracks that are not visible to the naked eye. The flaw detection system will also signify when a bridge or critical structure is not in imminent danger of collapse. Indeed, it is believed that the estimation of deficient bridges is actually bloated because rating methods are punitive. Work at Duke University is described in which the detection system's equipment is able to find which girder has a problem and in what area. However, accurate interpretation is still a problem. The University of Colorado is researching the rating of the load capacity of 30 bridges across the country to determine whether or not the trucks riding on these bridges are at overload. Nondestructive diagnostic load test on a typical 100-year-old, single span, train structure is also described.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/10480594
• Corporate Authors:

  American Society of Civil Engineers

  345 East 47th Street
  New York, NY  United States  10017-2398
• Authors:
  • Tarricone, P
• Publication Date: 1990-5

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: p. 48-51
• Serial:
  • Civil Engineering
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue Number: 5
  • Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
  • ISSN: 0885-7024
  • Serial URL: http://www.pubs.asce.org/ceonline/newce/html

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bearing capacity; Bridges; Cracking; Detection and identification; Detectors; Diagnostic tests; Inspection; Maintenance; Nondestructive tests; Ratings
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge maintenance
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00494623
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 30 1990 12:00AM