From quality control to decision-making on the management of bridges and structures: what's next?

Abstract

The process of managing a stock of existing bridges and structures is extremely complex and challenging. At the same time, it is considered as one of the most relevant and important fields for civil engineers, involving academics, researchers, consultants, contractors, and owners. Indeed, in the recent years, several national and international R&D funded projects raised this topic, and many international associations, such as EuroStruct, IABSE& fib, started commissions and task groups on this field. This work consists on an overview of the most recent matters on this field, covering the whole cycle, from the quality control, addressing extreme events, to the decision making process. Also, it will be given a focus on the recent developments on the assessment and forecasting the performance of bridge and other structures. Finally, an overview will be made for different types of structures, specifically those related to transport infrastructures.