Abstract
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods have been developed and employed as a means of rapid and effective structural inspection. Despite the various kinds of NDT methods developed for bridge inspection, not much study has been performed on their usage and effectiveness at a practical level. This paper presents an evaluation of NDT methods to identify how they are implemented in state agencies in the U.S. The findings and analysis presented herein were based on the results obtained from a survey questionnaire, targeted at Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in all U.S. states and territories. The survey questionnaire was initiated to clarify multiple issues regarding NDT implementation, such as identifying the types of inspection that involve NDT methods, bridge components that are most likely to be inspected with NDT, effective methods of inspecting concrete or steel structures, and so on. A total of 40 state agencies participated in the survey processing, and the major findings obtained from the states are illustrated and explained in detail in this paper. In addition, bridge defects that are hard to detect in the course of inspection and current research efforts to develop novel NDT methods were investigated.
Highlights
According to the data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there are more than 600,000 highway bridges in the U.S, among which around 25% are rated as either structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or both (Bureau of Transportation Statistics 2009)
A joint ad-hoc group of the American Society of Civil Engineers/Structures Engineering Institute and American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (ASCE/SEI – AASHTO) was formed to identify needs and issues associated with ensuring the safety of highway bridges across the U.S and to examine how current bridge inspection practices could be improved in the future
The main contribution of this paper is an in-depth study on the usage of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) methods in the U.S at a practical level
Summary
According to the data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there are more than 600,000 highway bridges in the U.S, among which around 25% are rated as either structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or both (Bureau of Transportation Statistics 2009). The main objective of this paper is to clarify how, when, and where state DOTs utilize NDT methods for highway bridge inspections This was accomplished by developing and distributing a survey questionnaire to as many U.S state DOTs as possible. The questionnaire was launched to accomplish several objectives: (1) to identify the circumstances that DOTs use contractors for NDT and general inspection work, (2) to determine the types of inspections that involve NDT methods and bridge components that are most likely to be inspected with NDT, (3) to gauge the effectiveness and ease of NDT methods for both concrete and steel structural systems, (4) to determine bridge defects that are hard to detect with current NDT methods, and (5) to report current research efforts to develop novel NDT methods. These are: Acoustic emission, corrosion sensors, smart paint, penetrant testing, magnetic particle, radiographic testing, ultrasonic testing, eddy current, and robotic inspection
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