Performance of Bridge Decks in a Cold Region and a High-fidelity Sensing System for Damage Detection

Abstract

This paper presents the performance of constructed bridge decks in a cold region with the aid of an extensive database acquired in North Dakota. A total of 1,328 decks are sampled from a 15 year inspection period. These data are statistically characterized and probabilistically analyzed. The importance of timely technical action for enhancing the condition rating of the decks is discussed. The stochastic response of the existing decks is effectively represented by Gaussian probability distributions, regardless of inspection years. The performance of the decks tends to converge to a certain state with time. The state-transition of the in-situ decks is identified through the global health index proposed. A new nondestructive testing method is developed to diagnose the physical damage of concrete based on near-field microwave.