First International Conference for PhD students in Civil Engineering CE-PhD 2012, 4-7 November 2012,Cluj-Napoca, Romania

www.sens-group.ro/ce2012

AN OUTLOOK ON THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF A BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Laurentiu Pavelescu*1
1

Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Lacul Tei Bvd., no. 122 - 124 RO 020396, sector 2, Bucharest, Romania

Abstract
Starting from the well-known importance of the transport network for Europe's economic and social development and taking into account that no man-made structure is built to last forever, whatever materials or forms of construction are used, the problem of maintenance of a stock of bridges in order to ensure a satisfactory level of serviceability should be a major concern of any administration body at the state or the local level. Maintaining the works of art (bridges, in particular) in a serviceable condition is a complex endeavor and this is due to the wide variety of structural types. Whilst the majority of modern structures are of reinforced or prestressed concrete construction, there are also a large number of composite bridges with steel beams supporting a concrete deck and a smaller number of steel bridges. The majority of the older structures are of masonry arch construction. Each type of structure behaves differently, suffers from different types of deterioration and has different maintenance needs. Add this to the financial constraints and we could form an opinion on the great challenges a manager faces. A so-called Bridge Management System (often abbreviated as BMS) addresses all activities throughout the life of a bridge from conception through design and construction, and finally to replacement or demolition and is aimed at ensuring their safety and functionality. This requires techniques and procedures that ensure that bridges are regularly inspected and assessed, and that appropriate maintenance is carried out to achieve a required standard of condition throughout their service life. This paper presents the main components a BMS relies upon; the analysis has been conducted in a comparative fashion, following the in-force Bridge Management Systems around the world and stressing characteristics such as: Inventory Component, Inspection Component, Cost Component, Maintenance Options, Bridge Condition, all of them being related to the Management Control through the core Database. The conclusions of this paper stand as a basis for a Romanian Bridge Management System that could be implemented by central or local administrative bodies in order to ensure a coherent approach with respect to the maintenance of a pile of bridges in service on our network.

References
[1] Petroski, H. - Engineers of dreams. New York: Allfred A. Knopf, 1995 [2] Michael J. Ryall - Bridge Management, 2nd Edition, 2010 [3] *** BRIME report BRIME: BRIdge Management in Europe, Final report, European Commission DG VII, 4th Framework Programme, 2001
1*

Corresponding author: Tel./ Fax.: +40769871088 E-mail address: laurentiu.pavelescu@gmail.com

First International Conference for PhD students in Civil Engineering CE-PhD 2012, 4-7 November 2012,Cluj-Napoca, Romania
www.sens-group.ro/ce2012 [4] *** THE IABMAS BRIDGE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE - Overview of Existing Bridge Management Systems, 2010 [5] *** Arches, Assessment and Rehabilitation of Central European Highway Structures, Recommendation on Systematic Decision Making Processes Associated with Maintenance and Reconstruction of Bridges, Deliverable D09 (ARCHES-02-DE09), August 2009 [6] *** Miscellaneous web sources