**Application to Civil Engineering Problems**

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**21** 

*Iran* 

Amir Tarighat

**Fuzzy Inference System as a Tool for** 

*Civil Engineering Department, Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University* 

Bridges are important infrastructures all over the world. We have invested and spent a lot of money in constructing them. Also we assign big budgets for their maintenance, repair and strengthening annually. Since the number of bridges is increasing the amount of money needed to preserve the existing bridges at minimum standard level is considerable. In order to make decision for optimal budgeting we should know how bridges respond to various

Why bridges need maintenance, repair and strengthening depend on many factors. Deterioration of bridges is due to aging, material deterioration under environmental conditions, increasing traffic volume and higher weights of vehicles. There are many factors which are responsible to make decision what the current condition and/or rating of a bridge is. Practically to make logical and defendable decisions the main action is to inspect bridges. Inspection provides a lot of collected data that should be stored and retrieved at any required time to obtain useful and practical information regarding the bridge condition and its immediate need. At this stage and by appropriate information in hand it can be possible

Bridges are susceptible to many defects during their service lives. The main common defects that occur on cast-in-place concrete slab (deck) bridges include: cracking, scaling, delamination, spalling, efflorescence, honeycombs, pop-outs, wear, collision damage, abrasion, overload damage, reinforcing steel corrosion (Chen & Duan, 2000; Hartle et al., 2002). These defects are symptoms showing some kinds of deteriorations. Inspectors should report these symptoms and consequently type of deterioration(s) should be diagnosed.

Inspecting a concrete bridge deck includes visual and advanced inspection methods. The inspection of concrete bridge deck for symptoms like cracks, spallings, and other defects is primarily a visual activity. However, hammers and chain drags can be used to detect areas of delamination. In addition, several advanced techniques are available for concrete bridge deck inspection. Nondestructive methods include: acoustic wave sonic/ultrasonic velocity measurements, electrical methods, electromagnetic methods, rebound and penetration

Visual inspection is the primary method used to evaluate the condition of the majority of the existing bridges. Visual inspection is a subjective assessment and it may have a significant

methods, carbonation and so many others if needed (Hartle et al., 2002).

kinds of deteriorating factors and what their current and future conditions will be.

to predict the remaining service lives of bridges.

**1. Introduction** 

**Management of Concrete Bridges** 
