Non-Destructive Evaluation of Closure Joints in Accelerated Bridge Construction using a Damage Etiology Approach

In accelerated bridge construction (ABC), prefabricated bridge deck elements are merged using “closure joints.” Because of the cast-in-place nature of closure joints that are expected to go into service rapidly and problems observed for some types of closure joints, there have been some concerns about their long-term durability. This has necessitated the need for monitoring the condition of ABC closure joints using non-destructive testing (NDT) methods. Closure joints contain unique features and details that sets them apart from conventional deck panels. This requires a special treatment of closure joints when it comes to selecting the appropriate NDT technique for their health monitoring. A clear guideline for selecting an applicable NDT method for various types of closure joints has not been developed yet. For this purpose, an investigation was carried out in the Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC) at Florida International University. This paper summarizes the result of this investigation. It includes reviews of all relevant NDT methods for applicability to ABC closure joints and efforts for categorizing closure joints according to joint features that affect the use of NDT. Since the applicability of NDT methods heavily depend on the type of expected anomaly to be detected and its root causes, all potential defects and types of damage were identified and investigated using a damage sequence tree (DST). Consequently, damage etiology for ABC closure joints were established using fault tree analysis (FTA). Finally, a quantitative statistical survey was used to substantiate the selection of the NDT methods that were most applicable to the health monitoring of ABC bridges containing closure joints. The results presented in this paper can be used by bridge owners and consultants as an effective and practical guide for the selection of NDT methods for monitoring the health of ABC closure joints.