Risk-informed asset management to tackle scouring on bridges across transport networks

Abstract

Scour is one of the main causes of bridge failures resulting in significant macroeconomic impacts, often beyond the direct costs of infrastructure damage. Given the pressure to increase the resilience of transport networks, ageing bridge infrastructure, constrained budgets, variable knowledge of asset conditions and limited data, mixed ownership and operation of bridges, and concerns about the risks of climate change, there is a need to implement cost-effective monitoring and maintenance strategies. To this end, this study aims to set the scene for a risk-informed approach for tackling bridge scour, while considering the socioeconomic impacts of disruptions due to bridge failures or closures. This study reviews the current practices in predicting, monitoring and managing bridge scour. It discusses the development of a risk-informed approach to aid the whole-life appraisal of bridges while considering the direct and indirect costs associated with bridge failure or closures. The approach provides a rational means to enable asset managers to evaluate the factors that affect bridge failure risk, select and prioritise appropriate mitigation measures, thereby improving the allocation of scarce monitoring and maintenance resources.

A framework for quantifying the value of vibration-based structural health monitoring

“…Figure 4 shows the numerical benchmark model of a two-span bridge system [54], which has already been employed by the authors for a VoI analysis in [16,55]. The model is used as a simulator for creating dynamic response measurement samples from the bridge system, which is subjected to environmental variability and to gradual and shock deterioration at the middle elastic support, simulating the case of scour [56,57,58,59,1]. Scour is one of the main causes of failure events on bridges [57,1].…”

“…Operation and maintenance (O&M) of structures and infrastructures addresses various potential threats (e.g., gradual deterioration, extreme events) that can adversely affect the intended performance of these systems. This creates the need for inspection, maintenance and repair actions throughout a system's lifecycle, which come at a large cost [1,2]. In the current approach to O&M, visual inspection still remains the primary, and oftentimes sole, source of information on the condition of a structure over its life-cycle.…”

A business case for risk-informed bridge monitoring using the value of information

“…A common approach is to commence the risk identification at a high level to obtain an assessment for the level of overall risk exposure. This may then be followed by a detailed assessment of more specific risks where critical assets, critical failure modes and high-risk areas can be defined and analysed in greater detail for their likelihood of occurrence and consequence (15). While the likelihood of a defect occurring is governed by different contributing factors (environmental, structural, geological etc), the magnitude of the consequences is often mediated by the macroeconomic costs or impacts of related bridge closure or failure.…”

A risk-informed decision support tool for the strategic asset management of railway track infrastructure

“…For example, the standardised risk management processes adopted by the railway industry in the UK, 16,17 Sweden 18 and Australia. 19 These initiatives have been supported by academic research that has developed risk assessment approaches at asset level for structures, 20,21 earthworks, 22,23 drainage 24 railway track, [25][26][27] stations, 28 rolling stock 29 and at the railway systems level. 30 While all these techniques demonstrate the importance of using available datasets to identify and assess the potential risks, there is a paucity of knowledge associated with derailment risk management when there is a lack or unavailability of risk data.…”