Life cycle cost optimisation in highway concrete bridges management

Abstract

This study presents a life cycle cost prediction and cost minimisation methodology for a set of highway concrete bridges, during a medium or a long period of time, in order to facilitate the decision process of the structure management. This methodology takes into consideration bridge intervention costs in addition with some Markov matrices degradation model. It applies a genetic algorithm in order to identify the optimised intervention plan, considering the available budget and the desired minimum performance level. Some Portuguese direct and indirect cost parameters, associated with different types of interventions during bridges lifetime, are presented. Finally, a probabilistic sensitivity analysis is carried out using Monte Carlo simulations.

Keywords::

• bridges
• infrastructure management
• life cycle cost
• Markov models

Acknowledgements

The collaboration of EP is gratefully acknowledged, although the opinions of the authors, expressed herein, do not necessarily reflect those of the EP.

Notes

^1. Email: [email protected]

^2. Email: [email protected]

Additional information

Funding

The authors would also like to acknowledge the PhD scholarship [SFRH/DB/49255/2008], granted to the first author by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).