Calibration of the Ageing Process of Masonry Bridges Based on Field Inspections and Construction Quality

This paper analyses the correlation between the building quality of masonry bridges and their related ageing process. This is achieved by combining a qualitative evaluation of the construction quality, based on the Masonry Quality Index, with procedures for estimating the ageing process. In an effort to calibrate this relationship, an initial database containing 4040 bridges located in two Spanish regions was filtered with criteria based on materials (only masonry bridges are considered) and the number of recorded inspections. This resulted in a final database containing 22 bridges, which represent the case studies in this research. Next, proper fit methods were applied to the selected structures in order to segment and parametrically study the condition of ageing in relation to the construction quality. Finally, the results of this analysis were used to investigate the ageing process in relation to other factors, properties and fundamental features of the masonry structures. The developed research seeks to: (a) enlarge the existing knowledge on the quality-decay relationship of masonry structures, (b) calibrate methods based on case studies, and (c) define criteria for considering the influence and correlation between both factors.