Spreading the Word

The risks posed by deteriorating and substandard bridges, which cannot easily be inspected, provide a major challenge to the engineering profession and to those governments which resource maintenance work. The cost and disruption of investigations and costs associated with premature remedial or replacement work also make it essential to improve investigation and assessment procedures. If risks are to be correctly identified before failures occur, and remedial work is to be done effectively, research is needed to develop and disseminate best practice for engineers and material scientists in 3 areas. This article outlines and discusses these 3 areas: 1) identification of hidden defects arising from design, construction, or deterioration; 2) quantification of effects of deterioration on strength, robustness, and serviceability; and 3) defining limits of acceptable deterioration. A more rigorous investigation of deteriorating and collapsed structures using forensic techniques can provide essential information for developing improved inspection and assessment procedures for aging infrastructure, and should be based on fieldwork or rigorous lab examination and testing of large samples.