Varying methods of maintaining the bridges are performed by the stakeholders who manage them, typically following traditional methods used globally of in-person inspections conducted at predefined intervals, the schedule of which is determined by the risk profile of the assets.

Whilst this method of inspection and maintenance is demonstrably reliable based on past performance, there are variables and potential risks that can impact on the desired outcome of maintaining a bridge portfolio to a safe and secure standard and deriving the maximum life out of the asset before investment is required for upgrade or replacement, such as:
* Reliance on sufficient and relevantly skilled inspectors being available to visit assets
* Potential for human error in the performance and analysis of inspections
* Potential for invisible structural defects to go undetected until such time that they manifest themselves, by which time users may be exposed to unacceptable levels of risk
* Potential for minor defects to unexpectedly worsen in between scheduled inspections
* Potential for traffic incidents to impact on the structural integrity of an effected asset and go unreported
* Reduce the deprecation profile of our infrastructure
* Holds leases to account for the management of the leased infrastructure.

Structural and real-time health monitoring aims to assist and inform asset owners about continued 'fitness for purpose' of structures under gradual or sudden changes to their state, to learn about either or both of the load and response mechanisms. The state of the structure may remain in the domain specified in the design, although this can be altered by normal ageing due to usage, by the action of the environment, and by accidental events. For the time-dimension of monitoring, which makes it possible to consider the full history database of the structure, and with the help of usage monitoring, it can provide a prognosis (evolution of damage, residual life, etc.).

The purpose of this project is to develop a guideline and address the sensing systems and applications requirements. The scope includes overall design and requirements; monitored parameters and location selection; data acquisition, transmission, processing and management; integrated structural and real-time health monitoring and status display. The benefits of the guideline will provide designers, asset owners and bridge inspectors to understand the structural and real time health monitoring system in term of requirements, operations, methodologies and implementations.

Deliverables:
Austroads Guideline for the structural and real-time health monitoring.

Contact Details:
Keri Balding
Manager, Contracts & Compliance
Austroads
E | kbalding@austroads.com.au
T | (02) 8265 3337