Resumen de Concrete Bridge Design and Construction series No. 12: Management of concrete bridges
CBDG Concrete Bridge Development Group
The fi nal article in this series examines the long-term management of concrete bridges. Previous articles discussed the durability of concrete bridges1, the importance of minimising the number of bearings and joints, and the use of integral bridges2. The specifi cations for bridge concretes need to identify the required concrete strength, the cover to reinforcement, the water-to-cement ratio and the cement type, all of which will depend on the particular site and environmental conditions. Working to these specifi cations will ensure that the concrete is best suited to its location in the bridge, and provide a long and low-maintenance working life. Here, we discuss the inspection and assessment of a bridge over its entire life, maintenance requirements and possible strengthening to upgrade the bridge to a new load confi guration or revised layout.
