Abdelkhalek, S; Zayed, T and Eltoukhy, A E E (2025) Multifaceted optimization for bridge inspection process. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 151(5): 04025034, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Regular bridge inspections are essential for ensuring user safety and maintaining the integrity of bridge decks. The effective planning of this process requires careful consideration of various parameters, such as selecting appropriate inspection techniques to accurately identify necessary interventions and implementing effective traffic control strategy to minimize an inspection's economic, social, and environmental implications, including traffic disruption, fuel consumption, and pollutant emissions. Nevertheless, previous studies only considered part of these parameters and neglected the rest, limiting the efficient application of their methodologies in practice. This paper aims to bridge this gap by proposing a comprehensive multiobjective simulation-based optimization model that integrates all relevant parameters. The model simultaneously optimizes various parameters, including inspection techniques, overtime hours, crew size, and traffic control strategies, to enhance system performance, that is, maximizing accuracy and confidence in test results while minimizing inspection duration, cost, and traffic disruptions. The multiobjective particle swarm optimization approach was employed to build the optimization algorithm. A discrete event simulation engine was integrated into the optimization algorithm to mimic the inspection procedures and estimate inspection duration and cost. The model was tested on a network of ten bridges. The findings revealed that using ground penetrating radar with 0.3048-m (1-ft) test spacing effectively addressed the scope of the inspection. In contrast, using impact echo [0.3048 m (1 ft)] and half-cell potential [0.3048 m (1 ft)] provided highly accurate inspections but longer inspection time/traffic delays and higher costs. The results demonstrated the efficiency of the proposed model in balancing competing objectives. The model not only enhances the efficiency of bridge inspections but also significantly reduces inspection cost and time.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bridge deck inspection; decision support system; discrete event simulation; nondestructive testing; particle swarm; simulation optimization |
| Index terms: | estimate, duration, testing, integrity, inspection, efficiency, discrete event simulation, pollutant, methodology, optimization algorithm, strategy, accuracy, fuel consumption, simulation-based optimization, decision support |
| Subjects: | professional practice, quality assurance, algorithms, research methods, health safety and environment, modelling and simulation, financial and cost management, energy systems, decision analysis, project controls, environmental health, performance management, management, professional development |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Information Management, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Digital Applications, Time Control, Engineering Principles, Health and Safety, Sustainability, Risk Management, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here