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Topic: Assessment of existing bridges – practical implementation with case studies

Speakers: Vazul Boros, Marija Kušter Marić, André Orcesi, Dominik Skokandić, Fabrizio Palmisano

Moderator: Alan O’Connor

Date and Time: June 9, 2023, 14-15.30 hrs CET.

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After reminding the context of the assessment of existing bridges, this webinar will illustrate its implementation with two case studies.

In the first case study a multi-level assessment procedure applied to a reinforced concrete slab bridge built in Germany in the 1970s will be shown. At the initial level, a semi-probabilistic procedure is used, based on a fixed partial factor format. In a second level of analysis adjusted partial factors accounting for a suitable target reliability level and for the actual variability of the stochastic parameters are implemented. Thereby, single partial factors as well as separate partial factors are derived and applied. In addition, the influence of the number of in situ concrete tests is highlighted. In the third level, a full-probabilistic analysis of the critical limit state is performed, on the basis of the first-order reliability method (FORM). The aim is to highlight the differences among the verification formats included in the forthcoming second generation of Eurocodes and how they can be easily used by practitioners when assessing an existing concrete bridge.

The second case study is a continuous reinforced concrete slab bridge built in Croatia in the 1960s. The adjustment of partial factors using the semi probabilistic approach and the Design Value Method (DVM) based on the fib Bulletin 80 will be illustrated, for both partial factors for materials and load partial factors. Some information relying on traffic data collection and post processing using Bridge Weigh-in-Motion (B-WIM) method will be presented, with emphasis on the dynamic amplification factor modelling and uncertainties in the full probabilistic approach. Finally, the focus will be on the First order reliability method (FORM) and Monte Carlo method, and how they can be implemented for the adjustment of partial factors.

Speakers & Moderator: 

Vazul Boros is a Research Engineer in the Structural Dynamics and Assessment team at the Center for Low-Emission Transport of the Austrian Institute of Technology in Vienna, Austria. He worked for more than a decade as a civil engineering consultant in Germany and has extensive experience in the reassessment, strengthening and structural health monitoring of bridges. He is a member of the IABSE Task Groups 1.3 and 1.10 and of the DIN standards committee on design loads for bridges.

Marija Kušter Marić is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Zagreb. Her main research areas are bridges and durability of structures, including prediction of service life and non-destructive testing of structures, as well as the effects of climate change and blast loading on structures.

André Orcesi is deputy director of the technical department of bridges engineering in Cerema (Centre for Studies on Risks, Environment, Mobility and Urban Planning) in France. He is an expert in reliability of infrastructures, structural health monitoring, management, maintenance, optimization, and life-cycle costs. He is a member of several international scientific committees and chair of IABSE TG 6.1: Effects of Climate Change on Infrastructures.   

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Topic: Optimize the reinforcement, do not waste steel!

Speaker: Prof. Enrique Hernández Montes, Spain

Moderator: Prof. M. Dolores G. Pulido (Spanish National Group, Chair) 

Date and Time: 16 June, 2023, 14-15 hrs CET

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Initially, we will analyze how the necessary changes in construction works can lead to new engineering designs. These designs aim not only to ensure constructability but also to achieve steel savings and pursue better environmental solutions. In the next step, we present the asymmetrically reinforced pile walls, a product developed in collaboration between ERSI and the University of Granada. This innovative solution offers savings of over 50% compared to the traditional symmetrical reinforcement approach. Lastly, we will introduce RSD diagrams, a tool utilized by ERSI for optimizing reinforcement. These diagrams provide a visual representation of all possible reinforcement solutions, enabling the selection of the best environmental solution.

Sponsored by ERSI-Group: Watch the video 

Speaker: Enrique Hernández-Montes is a Professor of Structural Engineering at the University of Granada in the School of Civil Engineers. His main research interest is Structural Engineering in general, ranging from earthquake engineering to reinforced and prestressed concrete.

Moderator: M. Dolores G. Pulido is Head Scientific at the Spanish Research Council, CSIC, and Professor at the Technical University of Madrid, UPM, in the School of Civil Engineers. Chair of the Spanish NG of IABSE. Her main research interest is Structural Design.

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Topic: Life-Cycle Reliability and Risk Assessment of Coastal Infrastructure subjected to Tsunamis under Non-stationary Sea-level Rise

Speaker: Prof. Mitsuyoshi Akiyama, Abdul Kadir Alhamid, Japan

Moderator: Prof. Alan O'Connor (TG 6.1 Vice-Chair), Ireland

Date and Time: 22 June 2023, 10 - 11 hrs CET

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Sea-level rise due to climate change could significantly exacerbate tsunami disasters since the sea level is a critical parameter affecting the intensity of tsunamis. Considering the impacts of future climate change on the ocean, a method to consider the effects of sea-level rise on the tsunami hazard intensity is needed to precisely predict future tsunami disasters. Due to the nonstationary characteristics of sea-level rise, the life-cycle tsunami reliability and risk assessment becomes increasingly complex as the tsunami hazard becomes time-dependent. This webinar will discuss climate change issues in structural engineering, primarily the impact of nonstationary sea-level rise on tsunami hazard and how it affects the life-cycle reliability and risk of coastal infrastructure. A probabilistic sea-level rise hazard assessment is presented based on the statistical analysis of the published climate models. Tsunami propagation analyses were performed under several sea-level rise cases to obtain tsunami hazard curves considering sea-level rise effects. The concept of time-variant tsunami hazard describing the distribution of the maximum tsunami intensity over a time interval is introduced to pave the way for life-cycle reliability assessment of structures under nonstationary climate change effects. Finally, the framework for life-cycle risk assessment of coastal infrastructure associated with cumulative economic loss is developed. An illustrative example is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework.

Speaker 1: Prof. Dr. Mitsuyoshi Akiyama is Professor of Structural Engineering at Waseda University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His main research interest is the life-cycle performance assessment of civil engineering systems under multiple hazards, including climate change effect. He is the Chair of TG6.2: Disaster Debris Management.

Speaker 2: Mr. Abdul Kadir Alhamid  is PhD candidate in structural engineering at Waseda University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. His primary research interests are in the life-cycle performance assessment of civil engineering systems under nonstationary climate change effects, including multiple hazard issues and stochastic processes. 

Moderator: Prof. Dr. Alan O' Connor, is the Chair of Structural Engineering at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Engineers of Ireland. He is a Fellow of Trinity College Dublin. He has extensive national/international experience in infrastructural risk analysis and probabilistic safety assessment. He is the Vice-Chair of TG6.1 and Chair of TG1.10.

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Topic: Carbon management in bridges - How low can we go?

Speakers: Cameron-Archer Jones,  COWI, UK

Moderator: David Knight, IABSE British Group, Director, Cake Industries, UK

Date and Time: 7 July 2023 14-15 hrs CET. 

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Sponsored by

Drawing upon recent project experience from within COWI, Cameron will present on how carbon management principles can be most effectively applied to reduce carbon emissions on bridge projects now. The presentation will summarise the carbon calculation process specific for bridges and cover how Engineers and Architects can use the outcomes of these to inform design decisions in future to minimise the carbon footprint of bridges. Cameron will also introduce the Net Zero Bridges Group and highlight some of the best guidance (in his opinion) that is available for everyone to use.

Speaker: Cameron is an Associate for COWI in the UK after joining the firm in 2017 and has experience in design delivery for new bridges in the internationally as well as assessment of existing bridges. He co-created a CO2e estimation tool and is leading the implementation of CO2e calculations and management strategies for projects completed by COWI both in the UK and internationally.

Moderator: David Knight, from IABSE's British Group, is a chartered structural and civil engineer, with extensive experience as a design consultant working closely with architects to design and project manage bridges, buildings and moving structures. David heads the design services and is Director of Design and Engineering.

Topic: The effects of climate change on material deterioration 

Speakers: Dr. Edgar Emilio Bastidas-Arteaga, France; Dr Boulent Imam, UK;  Dr Paraic Ryan , Ireland

Moderator: Abdullahi Salman, US

Date and Time:  20 October 2023, 14-15.30 hrs CET. 

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This webinar will provide insights on how climate change may produce changes to structural performance owing to physical and chemical actions on different types of building materials. As the climate changes, the exposure of reinforced concrete structures to various environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, and precipitation can increase, leading to potential changes in chloride ingress and carbonation mechanisms. These issues can lead to premature corrosion initiation, which increase the risk of structural failure. Dr. Emilio Bastidas-Arteaga will start by providing an overview of studies that have been conducted to assess the effects of climate change on reinforced concrete structures for several locations and exposure conditions worldwide. Then, Dr. Boulent Imam will summarise past research on quantifying the effect of climate change on long-term steel material deterioration and its impact on bridge resistance and risk. Finally, Dr. Paraic Ryan will present some recent research work dedicated to timber decay , as timber is susceptible to changes in climatic conditions as well as to biodegradation. The adaptation to climate change will be discussed, and a risk-based decision framework will be presented to illustrate how the risks can be managed and mitigated. Such framework can be used by practitioners in the civil engineering sector to make informed decisions about how to design, construct, and maintain structures in a changing climate.

Speakers

Edgar Emilio Bastidas-Arteaga is Professor of Civil Engineering in La Rochelle University, France. His research work aims at providing stochastic frameworks to optimise design, inspection, and maintenance of ageing infrastructure assets under realistic environmental conditions including climate change.

Boulent Imam is an Associate Professor at University of Surrey. His main expertise lies in the area of infrastructure asset management. He has researched extensively on deterioration modelling of metallic structures, remaining life assessment and climate change impacts on infrastructure within the context of both UK and European projects, collaborating with infrastructure owners and managers.

Paraic Ryan is an Associate Professor in Civil Engineering at University College Cork, Ireland and a Conjunct Research Fellow at the University of Newcastle, Australia. For over 15 years he has conducted research in the areas of infrastructure risk, climate change adaptation, and material deterioration, resulting in over 25 high-ranking peer-reviewed journal papers.

Moderator

Abdullahi Salman is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). He specializes in modeling the impacts of natural hazards and climate change on coastal ecosystems, civil infrastructure systems, and communities.