Reassessment of existing structures based on measured data - Part 2: Structural reliability analyses using NDT results

Every decision about the reliability of a structure is associated with uncertainties. The reassessment of existing structures remains a major challenge. The decisive difference compared to the design of new structures is the possibility and necessity to collect individual information about the actual condition and properties of the structure. Such knowledge should be appreciated in the reassessment in order to reduce uncertainties and increase the validity of the results. Reliability analyses using measured data require the comparability of measurement results and the evaluation of the quality of the measured information. Both requirements can be met by adequate measurement uncertainty considerations. Besides, the destructive interventions necessary for the measurements should be kept to a minimum. This paper shows how non-destructively gathered measurement results can be incorporated into probabilistic reassessments and which effects the implementation of measured data can have when evaluating existing structures, using a prestressed concrete bridge as a case-study.