PFI: Whatever Happened to Long Term Bridge Design?

Tufts University, Medford MA

Investigators

Abstract

This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project will address the serious problem of aging of the highway system infrastructure and the possibility of structurally deficient bridges in the United States today. The proposed solution to this problem involves a shift in the bridge design protocol to include baseline finite element modeling, continuous sensor-based monitoring and testing, and the intellectual post-processing of collected data to determine the structural health of bridges. The 1956 Interstate Highway Program expanded the U.S. highway system to over 500,000 bridges, but there was no monitoring or condition assessment included in the initial design and building effort. This proposal focuses on a condition assessment tool that integrates baseline finite element models and parameter estimation for model updating. The baseline model will include documentation of design approaches and methodology and is intended to facilitate the use of that baseline information over the bridge's life cycle to monitor condition and structural health. Thus the project would develop a process to consider how the, long term requirements such as future inspection, corrosion, and reconstruction impact the structural condition of the bridge in a meaningful way. The research, if successful, will be applicable to a significant fraction of the national infrastructure in the US and beyond. The benefits from a successful project would be realized through improvements in safety, as well as improvements in the economics of bridge design, fabrication, and maintenance. Partners include Tufts University (lead institution); University of New Hampshire; State of New Hampshire Department of Transportation; Fay, Spofford, & Thorndike Engineers; Geocomp Corporation (consultants on instrumentation for risk); Bridge Diagnostics, Inc.; and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration.