World Road Association, 2012
A major challenge in the area of bridge management consists of controlling the structures’ lifetime while maintaining serviceability; this responsibility necessitates the right set of tools for comprehending, monitoring and predicting the evolution of their structural condition.
Among the asset of civil engineering structures, concrete construction tends to be the most widespread. Controlling the aging of such structures has thus become a major economic consideration. Limited knowledge of degradation phenomena under actual operating conditions, coupled with the difficulty of producing an accurate diagnosis, often prompts bridge owners to undertake late corrective maintenance actions, whereas a preventive management strategy would extend the life cycle of structures and provide safety at a lower cost.