Themed issue on deterioration and structural performance of ageing concrete bridges: part I

Abstract

Transport infrastructure plays a crucial role in economic and societal growth, productivity and quality of life. The total value of road infrastructure in Great Britain is estimated to be £227 billion, whereas that of the rail network is estimated to be worth £336 billion. However, asset life varies considerably, with some parts of the networks still fundamentally relying on Victorian infrastructure to service modern needs.Bridges and structures may deteriorate as a result of a variety of contributing mechanisms, which may be chemical, mechanical or material related, such as alkali–silica reaction, fatigue, sulphate attack and so on, with corrosion being the most common.For concrete bridges, corrosion of the reinforcement leads to severe damage through cracking and spalling of the concrete cover, reduction in strength (flexural, shear, etc.), reduction in ductility of reinforcement and pre-stressing tendons, and reduction of bond strength between steel and concrete.This themed issue invited topics covering impact of material deterioration on structural performance of bridges and structures, assessment methodologies of bridges subject to varying deterioration mechanisms, performance-based assessment methodologies, experimental testing methods of deteriorated bridge components, probabilistic methods for modelling uncertainties in material deterioration and extreme loading and others. The papers featured in this issue of Bridge Engineering focus on condition and structural evaluation, experimental testing and load effects, with descriptions of current practice in the UK, Middle East, Italy and USA demonstrating international experience.

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ORCID for Mohammad Kashani: orcid.org/0000-0003-0008-0007

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