Management of Bridges Considering Aging Mechanisms and Extreme Events

Project Details
STATUS

Completed

START DATE

04/01/15

END DATE

02/28/19

FOCUS AREAS

Infrastructure

RESEARCH CENTERS InTrans, BEC, CTRE, MTC
SPONSORS

Iowa State University
Midwest Transportation Center
USDOT/OST-R

Researchers
Principal Investigator
Behrouz Shafei

Structural Engineer, BEC

About the research

Current bridge management systems predict the condition state of bridge elements primarily based on the extent of continuous structural deterioration. While the existing systems deliver a range of capabilities for the management of bridges under normal operational conditions, they lack the capability to take into account the consequences of sudden extreme events in a systematic way. In addition to extreme events, the consequences of extreme environmental exposure due to climate change are missing from current management systems. Given the uncertainties involved in natural and manmade hazards in addition to the ones associated with environmental exposure conditions, there is a critical need to develop risk-based approaches that not only take into account the site-specific aging mechanisms and extreme events at the same time, but also accommodate the spatial and temporal randomness originating from these factors. Another significant source of randomness and uncertainty is inspectors’ judgment, which directly affects predictions of the condition state of deteriorating bridges. Towards this goal, the current study introduces a risk-based life-cycle cost analysis framework that can be implemented in the current bridge management systems used by transportation agencies.


Funding Sources:
Iowa State University ($81,143.00)
Midwest Transportation Center
USDOT/OST-R ($77,121.00)
Total: $158,264.00

Contract Number: DTRT13-G-UTC37

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