Real-Time Remote Evaluation of Post-Event Residual Capacity of Highway Bridges
[ NCHRP 20-30 (NCHRP-IDEA) ]
Project Data
Staff Responsibility:
Dr. Inam Jawed
This project developed and demonstrated the application of a baseline-free monitoring methodology for real-time assessment of post-event integrity and safety of highway bridges. Work in Stage 1 focused on two main tasks. The first task involved development of a method for post-event bridge structural damage assessment based on vibration responses measured during the event and structural stiffness and damping identification. Four different methods were developed and validated through seismic shaking table tests of a large multi-span concrete bridge model. Based on measured bridge dynamic responses, changes in structural stiffness were identified and the occurrence, locations, and extents of structural damage assessed. In the second task of Stage 1 these damage assessment results were used to develop a method to estimate the post-event remaining capacity of a bridge. The identified post-event structural stiffness was used to update the structural model for push-over analysis to allow determination of the remaining capacity of the bridge. Work in Stage 2 involved software development and field demonstration. The methods for post-event damage assessment and capacity estimation developed in Stage 1 were packaged into efficient computer algorithms and into an exploratory software package named “Bridge Doctor”. The software was integrated with an instrumented test bed bridge in California for long-term performance evaluation and demonstration. The software is capable of rapid damage screening, detailed damage assessment, and remaining capacity estimation and can serve as a useful tool to assist decision making in post-event bridge operations and repair/retrofit. The contractor's report is available.
