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Keywords
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Markov chain, corrosion, bridge, reinforced
concrete, concrete crack, vulnerability
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Abstract
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The deterioration and cracking of reinforced
concrete (RC) bridges due to the chloride-induced
corrosion of steel reinforcement is an inherently
time-dependent stochastic phenomenon. In the
current practice of bridge management systems,
however, the determination of the condition states
of deteriorated bridges is highly dependent on
the opinion of experienced inspectors. Taking
such complexity into account, the current paper
presents a new stochastic predictive methodology
using a non-homogeneous Markov process,
which directly relates the visual inspection data
(corrosion rate and crack widths) to the structural
vulnerability of deteriorated concrete bridges.
This methodology predicts the future condition
of corrosion-induced damage (concrete cracking)
by linking structural vulnerability analysis and a
discrete-time Markov chain model. The application of
the proposed methodology is demonstrated through
a case-study corrosion-damaged RC bridge pier.
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