Monitoring the health of bridges.

PDFTech ReportRSN 06-06MonitoringReinforced concrete bridgesCrackingStructural health monitoringAcoustic emissionSensorsData collectionOregonOregon. Dept. of Transportation. Research UnitOregon. Dept. of Transportation. Research UnitUS Transportation CollectionResearch at Oregon State University has provided ODOT with better analytical tools for determining the safe load capacity of the cracked bridges. ODOT personnel now know that cracks alone do not necessarily mean that a bridge must be replaced. Methods are in place to decide which bridges are replaced, repaired, or left alone based on rational safety, engineering, and economic criteria. As an additional measure of assurance, the ODOT Bridge Engineering Section is pursuing structural health monitoring systems that continuously check the vital signs of a bridge