Evaluation of Expected Life-Cycle Maintenance Cost of Deteriorating Structures

In a world where financial resources do not keep pace with the growing demand for maintenance of deteriorating structures, it is imperative that those responsible for maintenance decisions make the best possible use of limited financial resources. Decision makers have to evaluate the expected life-cycle maintenance cost of deteriorating structures and use benefit/cost techniques for finding the optimal resource allocation. This paper proposes a methodology for the evaluation of expected life-cycle maintenance cost of deteriorating structures by considering uncertainties associated with the application of cyclic maintenance actions. The methodology can be used to determine the expected number of maintenance interventions on a deteriorating structure, or a group of deteriorating structures, during a specified time horizon and the associated expected maintenance costs. The method is suitable for application to both new and existing civil infrastructures under various maintenance strategies. The ultimate objective is to evaluate the costs of alternative maintenance strategies and determine the optimum maintenance regime over a specified time horizon. In its present format, the first line of application of the method is for highway bridges. However, the method can be used for any structure, or group of structures, requiring maintenance in the foreseeable future. The proposed method can be programmed and incorporated into an existing software package for life-cycle costing of civil infrastructures. An existing reinforced concrete bridge stock is analyzed to illustrate the proposed methodology and to reveal the cost-effectiveness of preventive maintenance interventions.

[1]  E P Small,et al.  BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE PROGRAMS , 1998 .

[2]  Palle Thoft-Christensen,et al.  Optimum Maintenance Strategies for Highway Bridges , 1999 .

[3]  Stephanie E. Chang,et al.  Life-Cycle Cost Analysis with Natural Hazard Risk , 1996 .

[4]  G P Romack,et al.  THE CURRENT STATUS OF BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES , 1999 .

[5]  P R Vassie.  A WHOLE LIFE COST MODEL FOR THE ECONOMIC EVALUATION OF DURABILITY OPTIONS FOR CONCRETE BRIDGES , 1997 .

[6]  Wilson H. Tang,et al.  Probability concepts in engineering planning and design , 1984 .

[7]  Yoshito Itoh,et al.  Network-Level Bridge Life-Cycle Management System , 1997 .

[8]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  Life-Cycle Cost Analysis for Bridges , 1999 .

[9]  Richard Shepard,et al.  Bridge Management for the 21st Century , 2000 .

[10]  G P Tilly.  PRINCIPLES OF WHOLE LIFE COSTING , 1997 .

[11]  Hugh Hawk,et al.  The BRIDGIT Bridge Management System , 1998 .

[12]  Parag C. Das.  New developments in bridge management methodology , 1998 .

[13]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  Life-cycle cost design of deteriorating structures , 1997 .

[14]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  Expected maintenance cost of deteriorating civil infrastructures , 2001 .

[15]  John Bjerrum,et al.  CREATING A BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM , 1998 .

[16]  Allen R. Marshall,et al.  The PONTIS bridge management system , 1998 .

[17]  A M Shirole.  Bridge Management to the Year 2020 and Beyond , 1993 .

[18]  Marja-Kaarina Söderqvist,et al.  THE FINNISH BRIDGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM , 1993 .

[19]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  Optimal Network-Level Bridge Maintenance Planning Based on Minimum Expected Cost , 2000 .

[20]  Dan M. Frangopol,et al.  RELIABILITY-BASED LIFE-CYCLE MANAGEMENT OF HIGHWAY BRIDGES , 2001 .

[21]  Michael P. Enright,et al.  Maintenance Planning for Deteriorating Concrete Bridges , 1999 .