In this study, the scope of CFRP cables in cable-stayed bridges is studied by establishing a numerical model of a 1400-m span of the same. The mechanical properties and characteristics of CFRP stay cables and of a cable-stayed bridge with CFRP cables are here subjected to comprehensive analysis. The anomalies in the damping properties of free vibration, nonlinear parametric vibration and wind f...

IN TR O D U CTIO N -TH E PROBLEM A few years ago a problem that previously had been a modest highway maintenance concern suddenly became a major source of dif­ ficulty and expense to highway departments in many areas of the coun­ try; including Indiana. In brief, concrete bridge decks, some new, started to spall, then delaminate, then come apart in relatively large chunks. The problem was quick...

As existing infrastructure systems are aged and deteriorated rapidly, state agencies started searching for more advanced ways to maintain their valuable assets to the acceptable level. One of them is the application of digital image processing. Recently, in the civil engineering domain, digital image processing methods have been developed to the areas of pavement conditions, underground pipelin...

There are over six hundred thousand bridges in the U.S. which require great amount of human effort along with expensive and specialized equipment for maintenance. Current bridge inspections are manually performed by inspectors which are inefficient and unsafe. This paper presents visual and three dimensional (3D) structure inspection for steel bridges and steel structures using the developed cl...

The research described in this paper focuses on the application of modal strain techniques on a multi-girder bridge superstructure with the objectives of identifying the presence of damage and detecting false damage diagnosis for such structures. The case study is a one-third scale model of a slab-on-girder composite bridge superstructure, comprised of a steel-free concrete deck with FRP rebars...

Many industries, such as the aerospace and the automotive industries have successfully used Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composites (FRPC). These types of composite materials offer significant advantages over conventional civil engineering materials, such as concrete and steel. This is due to their chemical and corrosion resistance, lightweight, and high strength, which make them attractive for the...

The paper gives an analysis of acoustic-emission signals measured in the course of laser cutting of steels plates DC04 and X5CrNi18-10. Laser cutting is a process in which there can be a wide range of cutting parameters, but nevertheless cutting of plate products can be accomplished. Within the range of the parameters concerned, however, the quality of a cut edge can vary quite strongly; laser-...

This paper presents the details and relevant findings of an experimental program which was conducted in three phases to investigate the behavior of steel-concrete composite bridge girders strengthened with new high modulus carbon fiber reinforced polymer (HM CFRP) materials. In the first phase, the feasibility of various lIM CFRP strengthening systems was examined. The second phase investigated...

Instrumentation, structural modeling, and model updating are incorporated into the design and construction process of a multi-span bridge to change the paradigm of traditional bridge design to a long-term bridge design. A continuous three span composite steel stringer bridge in Barre, Massachusetts was used as a pilot bridge. A monitoring system was installed in order to capture structural beha...

The present study examines the use of collars and geobags for reducing local scour around bridge piles. The efficiency of collars and geobags was studied experimentally. The data from the experiments were compared with data from earlier studies on the use of single piles with a collar and with a geobag. The results showed that using a combination of a steel collar and a geobag yields the most s...