Reliability Based Bridge Inspection

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Bridge management is concerned with the improvement of existing bridges through systematic inspection and maintenance. Inspection of bridges in the United States is normally performed at two-year intervals, subject to change if requested by state agencies. A bridge deterioration model obtained through statistical analysis of bridge inspection data as well as reliability evaluation of the bridge can be used as a basis for the selection of a more objective inspection interval. The statistical analysis will be applied to bridges in states with more diverse environmental and climatic conditions for a more complete evaluation of the current inspection practice. A methodology is presented for quantifying inspection intervals using reliability analysis and determining existing and future reliabilities of a bridge. The conceptual inspection strategy schedules bridge inspection based on the prediction of the bridge condition. A simple bridge case study is presented to show the effectiveness of such program. Certain assumptions and approximations that are made for this case study will be studied in detail and a comprehensive reliability based inspection strategy will be developed. The National Bridge Inventory lacks structural properties that are needed in the reliability analysis. Recommendations will be presented for the creation of a bridge database using existing Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) technology.