VerBewIng

The condition and reliability assessment of engineering structures is essential for optimal infrastructure maintenance. The development of new scanning methods in recent years has opened up new possibilities for contactless and rapid measurement of structural geometry. The change of geometry (deformation) is an essential feature of the structural condition. Currently, the bridge longitudinal profile is checked every six years as part of regular bridge inspections. However, a methodology still does not exist that would be able to consider the measured deformations in the reliability assessment. In addition, the existing contactless scanning methods are currently not yet suitable to measure structural deformations due to strict measurement requirements (accuracy in mm-range).

VerBewIng produces innovation in three fields: measurement techniques, condition identification and reliability assessment of engineering structures. In the field of measurement techniques, algorithms for determining structural deformation from UAV-based (drones) laser scanning data, satellite-radar data, and mobile-mapping data (moving measurement vehicle) will be developed. The measuring techniques will be adapted for use on bridges, with the aim to achieve accuracy in the mm-range. In the field of condition identification, the compensation of the temperature-induced deformation share will be improved by results of the temperature propagation analysis. Furthermore, pattern recognition and model updating methods will be adapted to identify the structural condition using scanning data. In the field of reliability assessment, innovative methods for assessment of structural reliability, which incorporate the recorded data and condition identification results, will be developed. The new assessment methods will be based on principles of the ONR 240008, assessment level 2 and 3.

AIT is leading this project and will focus on condition identification based on measured deformations, as well as evaluation using semi-probabilistic structural assessment method based on principles of Level 2 of the ONR 24008, incorporating the scanned structural geometry, and full-probabilistic reliability assessment method based on principles of Level 3 of ONR 24008, incorporating measured deformations and results of condition identification.