Evaluation of prestressing forces in prestressed concrete bridges

In September 2024, the project “Evaluation of Prestressing Forces in Prestressed Concrete Bridges,” with the acronym EvPres, was supported. The project received additional backing under the General Call 2023 from the Slovak Research and Development Agency. The research team includes scientists from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Institute of Structural Engineering and Transportation Structures, as well as from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, from the Department of Computers and Informatics of Technical University of Košice, Slovakia, thus combining expertise in civil engineering and computer sciences.

What urgent problem does the project address?

The loss of prestress in prestressed concrete bridges, caused by the corrosion of prestressing cables, poses a serious risk as it leads to a reduction in the stiffness of bridge structures. Maintaining these cables is particularly challenging since they cannot be visually inspected. This issue has previously led to sudden failures or closures of many bridges, resulting in significant social, economic, and environmental consequences.

As many prestressed concrete bridges in Europe are approaching the end of their service life, it is crucial to develop a methodology for accurately quantifying the prestressing forces in existing structures. This step aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 9, specifically Target 9.4, which focuses on modernizing infrastructure by 2030 with greater resource efficiency.

Currently, various indirect methods are used for maintaining prestressed concrete bridges. However, to ensure their safety throughout their lifespan, an ideal solution would involve implementing a direct monitoring method. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is a relatively new field that measures various responses of a bridge structure and assesses its technical condition. However, current SHM methods for determining prestressing forces are insufficient, necessitating further research and development of more effective solutions.