Infrastructure Failures: Needs for Development of Intelligent Diagnostics Margery Hines, Ariel Irizarry 1 , Adnan Jamil, Alexis Paris, and Alyson Stuer 2 Prof. Bernal, Prof. Padilla, Prof. Rappaport, Prof. Wadia-Fascetti Abstract During the mid-twentieth century bridge infrastructure expansion occurred at an unprecedented rate with limited inspection methods until the Point Pleasant, West Virginia bridge failure in 1967. A critical fracture occurred in a joint of this bridge and, with the normal rush hour loading, the bridge collapsed killing 46. The impacts of this failure resulted in the development of inspection practices, and ultimately to a set of national standards for bridge inspection and transportation agencies. Over the half-century following this catastrophe many inspection methods have been used to prevent failures. The most common methods include the use of detailed visual inspection and thermal inspection to detect irregularities. Even with these advances, infrastructure failures still occur resulting in social-economical impacts and demonstrating the need for improved diagnostic methods. Two current failure domains will be presented and confirm the need for infrastructure health monitoring and the development of an Intelligent Diagnostic system using advanced technologies. Figure 6: This expansion joint had a void underneath a thin layer (bottom right). The top large void was originally a tiny air void on the surface. References Assessment of Bridge Expansion Joints Using Long-Term Displacement and Temperature Measurement Y. Q. Ni, X. G. Hua, K. Y. Wong, and J. M. Ko, J. Perf. Constr. Fac. 21, 143 (2007), DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)0887- 3828(2007)21:2(143) Concrete Delamination Caused by Steel Reinforcement Corrosion C. Q. Li, J. J. Zheng, W. Lawanwisut, and R. E. Melchers, J. Mat. in Civ. Engrg. 19, 591 (2007), DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2007)19:7(591) Dipayan, Jana (2007). Delamination: A State-of-the-art Review [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from Construction Materials Consultants, Inc. Web site: http://www.cmc- concrete.com/CMC%20Seminars/2007%20ICMA%20Delamination.pdf Finding Delaminations in Concrete Bridge Decks (2003). Retrieved October 6, 2009 , from The Acoustical Society of America : http://www.acoustics.org/press/146th/Costley.htm Gary Strahan (n.d.). Concrete and Asphalt Bridge Deck Delamination. Retrieved October 9, 2009, from Pave Man Pro Web Site: http://www.pavemanpro.com/index.php?/article/concrete_and_asphalt_bridge_deck_delamination/ Himottu, J., Stuer, A. (2009). Analysis of Bridge Connections: A Comparative Study of Bridge and Joint Design. Worcester Polytechnic Institute Major Qualifying Project Report. Johnson, Marc. (2007). Commision of Inquiry inot the Collapse of a Portion of the de la Concorde Overpass. Retrieved October 12, 2009, from http://www.cevc.gouv.qc.ca/UserFiles/File/Rapport/report_eng.pdf Nondestructive Testing of the Lawrence Street Bridge Jennifer C. Wood and Kevin L. Rens, ASCE Conf. Proc. 201, 198 (2006), DOI:10.1061/40889(201)198 This work was supported in part by the IGERT: Intelligent Diagnostics for Aging Civil Infrastructure, under the IGERT Program of the National Science Foundation (Award Number DGE-0654176). Figure 2: An expansion joint with no air voids can be in tension for extended time with no failure. Figure 4: A zoomed in view of the expansion joint had air voids on the surface layer that were easily detectable. Figure 5: As the expansion joint was put into tension the voids along the edge of the sample provided the location for the sealant to being peeling. Figure 1: This expansion joint with no air voids performed well in tests because the lack of voids created no point for the sealant to begin peeling. Figure 3: An expansion joint with air voids in the surface initially does not indicate air voids beneath the surface. Figure 7: In order to induce air-entrainment in a concrete slab, a hard (machine)-trowel finish is used which provokes delamination. This is a zoomed in view of the core to show the separation of layers created by delamination. Figure 9: A core from a concrete bridge deck showing a delamination below the surface with no indication above. Figure 8: Delamination due to water bleeding in the finishing of a concrete slab. Figure 10: Corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete in the presence of chloride and atmospheric carbonation. This corrosion occurs once delaminations contain moisture. Expansion Joints Sealant Voids The first domain is in the expansion joints where a failure can allow moisture to travel to unprotected superstructure members and create problems in the bridge response to temperature changes. The joint failure can, many times, be attributed to sealant failure, and the sealant fails more often and rapidly when air voids are created during the construction and curing. The air voids are currently detected in the sealant during the placement of the sealant where a uniform pouring is used to reduce the number of air bubbles. Illustrations of these failures are shown in Figures 1-6. While these joints are not specifically listed as a cause of catastrophic failures these failures lead to significant deterioration of the superstructure and substructure member which can then cause a catastrophic failure. Need for Intelligent Diagnostics Today’s bridge inspection methods include tests which are destructive (like coring) and tests which are qualitative and operator judgment dependent (like the chain method). Although reasonably successful, these techniques are generally not precise and are subjective, which could mean different conclusions from the same data dependant on operator. Thus, there is a need for Intelligent Diagnostics that can obtain precise information on these failures in an efficient way. An example of an intelligent diagnostic system being developed involves thermal imaging. This system is currently being tested to find cracks in steel bridge structures under paint. The small amount of friction created by the crack from molecular movement is conducted to the surface of the paint and then radiated to the surface. This radiation then travels to the sensor in the thermal camera and is converted to an image we can interpret. Other methods include using electromagnetic waves to gain a picture of the subsurface characteristics of the deck. Figure 14: Shows an example of how blood veins in a human arm can be seen as radiation from the warm blood conducts energy to the cooler skin surface. In this same way delamination and other internal irregularities are located in a concrete deck with thermal imaging. The voids heat and cool at a different rate than the concrete itself showing a difference in temperature during a thermal image. Figure 13: An example of of the typical method for inspection of a bridge deck with a chain bar. Depending on the sound that the chain produces while being in contact with the concrete deck, the operator recognizes possible interior cracks and voids. Concrete Delamination The second domain is in the concrete deck of the bridge where cracks can develop. These cracks can form due to environmental conditions or problems with reinforcement, loading, or other stresses. Once a crack has formed moisture is able to penetrate and contaminate the concrete and corrode rebar. Presently void detection in the deck uses a chain drag or hammer to produce echoes used to determine the approximate location and size of the void. This practice can be inaccurate due to the fact that data analysis is subjective. There is a need for an alternative, more objective diagnostic to determine the overall health of the structure. Potential intelligent diagnostic alternatives include the use of various wave technologies to develop a combined sensor that creates a representation of the subsurface. Figure 11: de la Concorde Overpass collapse which was determined to fail in part to concrete delamination. This failure killed 5 people. Figure 12: A detailed view of the concrete delamination that contributed to the de la Concorde overpass collapse. A Case Study: de la Concorde Overpass This presentation was primarily developed by Ariel Irizarry and Alyson Stuer. This presentation is in addition to a supplemental Intelligent Diagnostic Electrical Engineering Poster. 1 Department of Civil Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez 2 Department of Civil Engineering, Northeastern University