Structural Performance of a Deteriorated Small Bridge due to Poor Construction

Many civil engineering structures were built in Japan during periods of rapid economic growth. Some of the existing road bridges are showing signs of age-related deterioration, such as cracking and concrete delamination. This situation is becoming an urgent problem in Japan, and a similar situation is occurring in the Hokuriku region. The causes of the damage vary, and this study focuses on small bridges that have deteriorated due to poor construction. Loading tests were carried out on deteriorated bridges using test vehicles. The main girder strains of the bridge were measured to estimate the structural performance of the present bridge. In addition, the healthy and deteriorated states of the target bridge were analyzed using the finite element analysis (FEA), and the stiffness of the bridge was estimated by comparing the experiment with the results from the analytical model.