Some aspects of technical models within bridge management system

Abstract

Bridge Management System (BMS) represents a rational and systematic approach to organizing and conducting of all activities related to bridge maintenance. Main goal of BMS is helping the bridge owner to make an optimal decision with respect to bridge maintenance budget, whether it is dedicated to one bridge or to group of bridges, by securing that the decision is made on the basis of Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) estimates. The structure of BMS is based on condition rating and Bridge Database (BD), Deterioration model (DM), Cost Model for evaluation of costs and Optimization Model for choosing the most rational maintenance strategy. Relationship between bridge condition rating and DM with maintenance costs within BMS is very important. Predictions regarding future intensity and rate of bridge deterioration depends on multitude of factors and it is a consequence of several simultaneous actions and deterioration processes (DP) which need to be included into DMs. DMs are mostly based on modeling of physical and chemical actions and processes or they are based on statistical analysis of large number of data regarding the condition of existing bridges, or on artificial intelligence models, etc. Stochastic models based on Markov processes are applied within more advanced contemporary BMS. Due to social and economic circumstances and lack of financial resources over the last two decades in Republic of Serbia bridge maintenance was neglected and creation of BD was discontinued. The paper deliberates some aspects of technical models within BMS, with DMs being pointed out, development of BD within bridge maintenance in Republic of Serbia and it gives an overview of sophisticated BMS and current advances in this field.

Keywords

• bridges
• bridge management system
• condition rating
• database
• deterioration models
• maintenance