Structural condition assessment of bridges: past, present, and future - a Portuguese perspective

E. Figueiredo*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

    Abstract

    Improved and more continuous condition assessment of bridges has been demanded by our society to better face challenges posed by aging civil infrastructure around the world. Indeed, the recent collapses of the Hintze Ribeiro Bridge that killed 59 people, in Portugal, and the I-35W Bridge over the Mississippi River that killed 13 people, in the United States, pointed out the need for the implementation of Bridge Management Systems (BMSs) with more reliable tools to avoid those events. Recent developments suggest that, in an effort to create more robust bridge management, in particular the improvement of the structural condition assessment, the concepts of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) should be merged into the BMS, in a systematic way. Thus, in order to have a broad discussion on the past, present, and future of that topic, an International Seminar was held at the Catholic University of Portugal. This seminar intended to bring together bridge designers and owners, researchers, and students to discuss the current condition of the bridges in Portugal and to highlight shortcomings in current bridge inspection, condition assessment, and maintenance strategies. Therefore, this paper intends to summarize the highlights of the seminar, especially the main lessons from the past, the current needs and limitations, and some guidelines to improve the bridge management using SHM technology.

    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationStructural health monitoring 2013
    Subtitle of host publicationa roadmap to intelligent structures - Proceedings of the 9th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, IWSHM 2013
    EditorsFu-Kuo Chang
    PublisherDEStech Publications
    Pages2546-2553
    Number of pages8
    ISBN (Electronic)9781605951157
    Publication statusPublished - 2013
    Event9th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring: A Roadmap to Intelligent Structures, IWSHM 2013 - Stanford, United States
    Duration: 10 Sept 201312 Sept 2013

    Publication series

    NameStructural Health Monitoring 2013: A Roadmap to Intelligent Structures - Proceedings of the 9th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, IWSHM 2013
    Volume2

    Conference

    Conference9th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring: A Roadmap to Intelligent Structures, IWSHM 2013
    Country/TerritoryUnited States
    CityStanford
    Period10/09/1312/09/13

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