Overview of the

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Overview of the Bridge Evaluation Quality
Assurance Scan
American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials Federal Highway
Administration National Cooperative Highway
Research Program AASHTO Annual
Meeting September, 2007
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Scan Team Member Home States
Tod Kimball FHWA Vermont
Paul Jensen Montana DOT
Dave Juntunen MI DOT Larry Hummel Van Buren
County
Pete Weykamp New York DOT

Harry Capers Arora and Assoc.
Dr. Glenn Washer Univ. of Missouri
Tom Everett FHWA HQ
Randy Cox Texas DOT
Tom Drda FHWA North Carolina
AASHTO
FHWA
Academia
FHWA HQ
Consultant
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Scan Countries
Red Visited Blue Met with in Denmark
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PURPOSE and SCOPE

• Assist in NBIS regulation implementation.
• Explore effective bridge inspection systems in
  other countries.
• Satisfy the 2001 Data Quality Act.
• Review types of data collected by other
  countries.

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TOPICS of INTEREST

• Organizational Structure and Background
• Inspection Data
• Personnel Qualifications
• Process Control
• Equipment
• Documentation

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FINDINGS

• European agencies value their bridge
  inspection programs
• to insure highway user safety
• to insure durability and service- ability
  expectations are met
• to enhance capital investment decisions regarding
  their existing bridge inventory

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FINDINGS

• Emphasis Placed on Quality
• Well-defined qualifications,
• Uniform inspection type definitions,
• Periodic calibration of inspectors,
• Data collection processes,
• Appropriate use of NDT methods
• Multi-tiered inspection
• frequency is not fixed

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FOCUS AREAS

• Team identified many items that could enhance
  bridge inspection practices within the U.S. and
  organized them into 8 topic areas for further
  evaluation.

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Inspection References and Tools

• Heavily detailed illustrated manuals.
• Damage types quantified and performance indices
  assigned.
• Standards developed to quantify concrete
  cracking in reports.
• Inspection vehicles equipped with field
  equipment, office space and bridge records.

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Reports and Data Management

• Standardization of reports, forms, terms and
  condition ratings
• Digital photographs embedded in inspection
  reports
• Designers required to identify critical areas
  to be inspected
• Pull down menu of structural condition in
  software allowing automated generation of
  condition rating
• Separate asset management systems for major
  structures

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Training And Certification

• A variety of approaches
• technical educational requirements
• specialized training
• specific training for Inspector, Team Leader,
  PM
• qualifying exam for each level
• Match inspector experience with complexity of
  bridge.
• Keep, at minimum, a core of experts within
  agency.

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Inspection Types and Frequencies

• Detailed inspections every 5 to 6 years
• Interim inspections focused on areas of interest
  identified in the detailed inspection
• Annual inspections by maintenance
• Road workers routinely monitor and report issues
  of structural condition
• European road agencies typically inspect spans of
  two meters.

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Inspection Types and Frequencies

• Inspection frequency - based on
• competency of the inspector
• inspector qualifications and experience
• bridge type, condition, age, etc.
• Competency standards provide assurance
  inspectors can safely determine the frequency.

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Reference Bridges

• Finnish use a population of 106 bridges and 26
  culverts as a control sample
• Data gathered is used to
• Monitor bridge serviceability and durability over
  time
• Update deterioration models in bridge management
  system
• Quality Control of data from non-Reference
  Bridges by providing baseline data for comparison
  
• Training and evaluation of inspectors
• Several agencies use bridges to be demolished
  to evaluate the effectiveness of NDT methods.

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Reference Bridges

• Data collected from Reference Bridges in Finland
  is analyzed to
• determine an inspectors personal quality points
• monitor trends in data quality and consistency
• Quality points are used
• As part of procurement process
• To develop refresher training for inspectors
• Finland requires QC plan in consultant agreements

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Non Destructive Testing (NDT)

• Used primarily during in-depth inspections.
• Detailed references outlining appropriate use.
• Unique applications such as Ultrasonic Shear Wave
  Transducer.

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Cause of Damage Determination

• Inspectors Determine Cause of Failure
• Inspectors are trained to assess damage to a
  structural element and recommend action based on
  
• structural stability, user safety effect on the
  damaged components durability
• Procedures to initiate actions based on the
  severity of the condition.

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BASt SYSTEMCalculation of Condition Index
Example S 2 (Structural Stability) V 2
(Traffic Safety) D 3 (Durability)
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DATA USAGE

• POOR to BAD
• Replace
• GOOD to GREAT
• PM
• FAIR
• Urgency of Repair
• Can it be Safely Deferred?

GOOD
FAIR
POOR
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OTHER

• German DVD, Inspection According to German
  Industrial Standard (DIN) No 1076.
• Intended for viewing by the general public,
  politicians, management officials, etc.
• Provides support for bridge and structure
  inspection.
• Inspection friendly, security wise details
  were also incorporated into the design of bridges
  on a routine basis

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Develop a nationally accepted basis for
  determining bridge inspection frequencies
• Draft national guidelines for developing QC/QA
  procedures for use by owners
• Develop a national integrated inspection -
  repair approach in bridge assessments
• Enhance FHWA coding guide will photos

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Develop a bridge inspection central resource of
  references and technologies
• Initiate demonstration project of Ultrasonic
  Shear Wave Transducer
• Interchange with Finnish Roads on the use of
  statistical methods for quality assurance
• Technical interchange between countries

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Current and Planned Post-Trip Activities

• Preliminary Summary Report submitted
• Finalize and disseminate final report
• Scan Technology Implementation Plan
• Two NCHRP proposals (both submitted and under
  consideration)
• Final STIP will be available October, 2007
• Technology transfer activities

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ILLUSTRATED INSPECTION MANUALS
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GOALS

• National adoption of a QC/QA concepts that
  improve the consistency and uniformity of bridge
  inspections across the country
• A reliability based approach for inspection
  frequency
• An integrated approach to the inspection program

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Bridge Evaluation Quality Assurance
Thank You Questions?