The preservation of the degrading transport infrastructure is vital, as replacing it is impossible in view of limited budgets and environmental impacts. One component in overcoming this challenge is the evaluation of the reliability and the calculation of the remaining service life of existing structures. These structural reliability reassessments allow for the identification and utilization of load-bearing capacity reserves. The consideration of actual structural characteristics and environmental conditions, various of which can be gathered by means of numerous measurement and inspection techniques, has the potential for more realistic computation results and therefore more economic decisions about the operation as well as maintenance activities. This article attempts to shed light on the potential of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods for updating the input variables in the ultimate limit states during a recalculation. The approach of the NDT-supported reliability reassessment is demonstrated using a prestressed concrete bridge emphasizing the bending proof in transversal direction. As a result, the semi-probabilistic, probabilistic and NDT-based reassessment results are compared and the effects of NDT-supported structural analysis on the calculated reliability are highlighted.    «

The preservation of the degrading transport infrastructure is vital, as replacing it is impossible in view of limited budgets and environmental impacts. One component in overcoming this challenge is the evaluation of the reliability and the calculation of the remaining service life of existing structures. These structural reliability reassessments allow for the identification and utilization of load-bearing capacity reserves. The consideration of actual structural characteristics and environment...    »