Book Description

Contains over eighty papers covering the fields of bridge management systems, inspection methods, structural assessment and maintenance strategies; together with the reliability and risk management techniques. This book is useful for bridge owners and engineers engaged in bridge design, assessment, repair and strengthening. The last five years have seen the art of bridge management develop into a mature subject. Bridge owners and engineers recognise the importance of implementing fully operational bridge management strategies to ensure that all road and rail bridges remain functional for as long as possible. Bridge structures form a major part of the vast financial investment in infrastructure and consequently their careful management involving structural appraisal, repair and strengthening is of paramount importance. Factors such as the chosen repair method can influence how often and for how long a bridge structure is out of operation. This in turn, determines the ensuing traffic and/or rail delay costs and also any resulting increase in traffic pollution.The 5th volume on Bridge Management contains over eighty papers which span the fields of bridge management systems, inspection methods, structural assessment and maintenance strategies; together with the latest reliability and risk management techniques. Almost all of these papers have been presented at the Fifth International Conference on Bridge Management held at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK in 2005. The book will prove to be a very useful reference manual for all bridge owners and engineers engaged in bridge design, assessment, repair and strengthening. The volume is also recommended as a reference text for other professionals who are concerned with care of the environment and the minimisation of pollution due to traffic delays and non-conventional repair and protection methods.