Date Approved

10-2-2024

Embargo Period

10-3-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Department

Civil and Environmental Engineering

College

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering

Advisor

Adriana Trias Blanco, Ph.D.

Committee Member 1

Islam Mantawy, Ph.D., P.E.

Committee Member 2

Seyed Hooman Ghasemi, Ph.D., P.E.

Keywords

Skew Angle; Structural Health Monitoring; Time to Event Analysis

Subject(s)

Bridges--Maintenance and repair

Disciplines

Civil Engineering | Engineering

Abstract

The structural health and economic variables influencing the state of bridges in New Jersey are thoroughly examined in this thesis. The predictive modeling of bridge conditions using stepwise selection and linear logistic regression approaches is the primary focus of the opening chapter. With its precise predictions about bridge condition, either being fair/good, our model offers insightful information about resource allocation and maintenance by identifying bridge features which affect the deterioration of bridges the most. This gives effective infrastructure management, which not only relies on the identification of the important predictors and their effects on bridge conditions but also ranks them from the feature with the most effect to those with little to no effect. The second section of the analysis has two parts. We first started by examining the time-to-failure of bridges under various load scenarios (ADT/Live Loads, Environmental Loads/Conditions) and for different bridge materials in the first section. We also looked into the probability of failure using complex statistical techniques while recommending ways to improve bridge reliability. For the second part, we investigate the impacts of the median household income of the people living in a county on bridge conditions. The analysis shows that areas with lower household income have a higher proportion of bridges in fair condition, and this is likely due to lower road funds generated by authorities to supplement the federal road fund in areas with low household income. This insight, combined with statistical analysis to find the time-to-failure of the bridges, suggests prioritizing specific bridge types in low-income areas to ensure longevity despite limited funds. In the third chapter, we address the skew angle of the bridges and its influence on structural integrity because, from the previous analysis, we found that the skew angle has a 0.7% effect on the hazard/probability of deterioration of the bridge. After analyzing different skew angles and how they affect the distribution of stress, we offer recommendations for designing bridges for maximum structural stability. According to our data, bridges with skew angles of more than 45 degrees had a higher likelihood of deterioration, whereas bridges with skew angles between 15 and 30 degrees offer the optimal balance between structural integrity and design flexibility, thereby limiting stress concentrations.

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