Xu, S; Wang, J; Wang, X; Shou, W and Ngo, T (2025) Defect modelling and correlation mapping for bridge inspection. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(6), pp. 4174-4196. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: This paper covers the development of a novel defect model for concrete highway bridges. The proposed defect model is intended to facilitate the identification of bridge's condition information (i.e. defects), improve the efficiency and accuracy of bridge inspections by supporting practitioners and even machines with digitalised expert knowledge, and ultimately automate the process. Design/methodology/approach: The research design consists of three major phases so as to (1) categorise common defect with regard to physical entities (i.e. bridge element), (2) establish internal relationships among those defects and (3) relate defects to their properties and potential causes. A mixed-method research approach, which includes a comprehensive literature review, focus groups and case studies, was employed to develop and validate the proposed defect model. Findings: The data collected through the literature and focus groups were analysed and knowledge were extracted to form the novel defect model. The defect model was then validated and further calibrated through case study. Inspection reports of nearly 300 bridges in China were collected and analysed. The study uncovered the relationships between defects and a variety of inspection-related elements and represented in the form of an accessible, digitalised and user-friendly knowledge model. Originality/value: The contribution of this paper is the development of a defect model that can assist inexperienced practitioners and even machines in the near future to conduct inspection tasks. For one, the proposed defect model can standardise the data collection process of bridge inspection, including the identification of defects and documentation of their vital properties, paving the path for the automation in subsequent stages (e.g. condition evaluation). For another, by retrieving rich experience and expert knowledge which have long been reserved and inherited in the industrial sector, the inspection efficiency and accuracy can be considerably improved.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | bridge inspection; cause diagnosis; concrete highway bridge; defects; relationship mapping |
| Index terms: | concrete highway, research design, inspection, efficiency, case study, modelling, automation, literature review, accuracy, documentation, paving, focus group, China, methodology, mapping, practitioner |
| Subjects: | professional development, performance management, infrastructure and transport systems, research design and methodology, data collection methods, data analysis and analytics, automation and robotics, Geography, spatial and geospatial analysis, research methods, quality assurance, transportation engineering, practitioner, analytical methods |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Digital Applications, Geographical Context, Engineering Principles, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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