Civil engineering · 1973 · 10 citations · 0 references
EngineeringCivil EngineeringOcean EngineeringBridge EngineeringCondition AssessmentMaintenance EngineeringBridge Condition AssessmentBridge MaintenanceBridge RehabilitationInspectionUnderwater SurveyBridge Health MonitoringBridge RepairUnderwater InspectionUnderwater Maintenance
HISTORICAL RECORDS AND RECENT ENGINEERING PERIODICALS INDICATE THAT MANY BRIDGE FAILURES ARE RELATED TO FOUNDATION DISTRESS. A DIVING INSPECTION IS OFTEN THE ONLY MEANS OF DETECTING CONDITIONS THAT MAY LEAD TO FAILURE. DIVING INSPECTIONS ARE NOT ONLY A SAFEGUARD AGAINST IMMINENT BRIDGE FAILURE, BUT ARE ALSO USEFUL AS A PART OF GENERAL BRIDGE MAINTENANCE REPAIR PROGRAMS. IN BRIDGE REHABILITATION PROJECTS, OFTEN THE COST OF A DIVING INSPECTION IS VERY SMALL COMPARED TO THE SAVINGS THAT CAN BE REALIZED. POINTS TO REMEMBER IN THE UNDERWATER INSPECTION OF BRIDGES ARE NOTED IN THIS ARTICLE.