HOW TO KEEP BRIDGES FULLY OPERATIONAL AND SAFE OVER THE YEARS?
Over the past few years, the management of bridges across their entire life has become a major issue. Typical service life has been extended from 50 to 100 years, or even 120 years, thanks to the development of new solutions and because we have a better understanding of what makes structures sustainable.
With a mature infrastructure network, knowing how to maintain and repair these structures, especially their structural systems – bearings, prestressing, stay cables, etc., has become crucial – as has the need to allow for eventual replacement of components.
More broadly, the discipline of durability engineering has emerged, bringing together design, systems and technologies, construction processes, maintenance, repairs and upgrades. As a result, VSL has positioned itself to work across all stages of a structure’s life, with experienced specialists on tap.
Recurring issues affect the health of a structure
Having full knowledge about the current condition and possible deterioration mechanisms is key to deciding what needs to be done. We have identified five recurring issues, that can be addressed with appropriate repair and retrofit solutions.
“A combination of individual solutions” – VSL repairs expertise
Assisting owners and operators throughout the entire lifecycle of their assets, VSL has understood one thing: there is no one solution fitting all approaches, but rather a combination of individual solutions. Watch the video of Andreas Schwarz, VSL Manager of the Asset Preservation, Structural Repairs and upgrading Business Line.
Andreas Schwarz, Repair & Preservation Manager
