IABSE Symposium 2019 Guimarães

Towards a Resilient Built Environment - Risk and Asset Management

March 27-29, 2019, Guimarães, Portugal

Chilean Performance Indicator by region applied to road bridges

Matias A. Valenzuela
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso

Marcelo Marquez, Leonardo Acuña, Karen Zuñiga, Constanza Barraza

Ministry of Public Works

Contacting author: matias.valenzuela@pucv.cl

ABSTRACT

Chile has a special climatically and geographical environmental condition including the seismicity
and scour process on riverbed. This condition produces a particular provision for design and
maintenance program on bridges, in order to reduce the vulnerability of the structure avoiding risk
of collapse condition on the critical road network Following the international experience related
with the standardization of performance indicators on road bridges, the Ministry of Public Work of
Chile and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso are developing a program for applied these
performance indicators an inspection protocols in order to match with the current Chilean
maintenance program and reduce the uncertainties on technical decision of rehabilitation
activities. This paper proposes performance indicators applied on Chile using a collection of
inspection activities carried out by the Technical Teams of the Ministry. The proposed
performance indicators are divided by region of the Chile in order to match with the main hazard
and damages detected in each zone (North, central and Austral) and it is defining the importance
for the inspections and maintenance program per each case, following the categories of
Performance Indicator or Key Performance Indicator. Finally, these results are discussed compared
with the result provided by European experience

Keywords: Bridges, Performance Indicator, Chile


1. Introduction
In bridge inspections, throughout the years it
has been able to find a substantial quantity
of damages, damages, elements missing or
other factors that affect the structure and its
service life. Which depending on the type of
the damage, on the long run it may generate
significant damages that make worst the
state of the structure. This is why the
international maintenance programs seek to
englobe and study all of the damages or
unfavorable situations using performance
indicators that can generate and be used in
different bridges.
Despite of having a big compilation of
defects or damages that influence the
bridges, international methodology has not
included climate and environmental factors
focus on South America, and specifically,
Chile. Therefore, the adaptation of the model
in Chile needs to generate performance
indications that allows to modify the model
to the characteristics existent in our country.
In Chile, there is a considerable quantity of
road bridges, with different materials, being
the most common steel, reinforced concrete,
prestress concrete, timber, etc. These
materials could be combined in different
parts of the structure, that can be affected
by environmental sources, service level,
seismic zone or other hazardous condition. In
2016 the Ministry of Public Works developed
a bridge maintenance proposal including
these conditions. [1]
This document presents a first proposal of
performance indicators associated to Chilean
road bridges, identifying different
geographical macro zones in the country to
generate technical inspections that are
specifically designed to the needs of each
structure.
2. Proposal of performance
indicators according to the
zones in Chile
Currently, international experiences are
developing guidelines that could
standardized the criteria and performance
for life cycle and maintenance of the bridges.
The indicators obtained are compared with
performance goals, in order to evaluate if the
quality control plan is accomplished. The
indicators could be qualitative or
quantitative and they can be obtained
through inspections, such as visual
inspection, destructive or nondestructive
test or a permanent monitoring system.
Following the international experience, this
paper describes the performance indicators
for Chilean road bridges according to the
geographic location of the structures.
During 2016 and 2017, the first two Chilean
bridges that was applied the concept of
performance indicators have already been
analyzed, considering the bridge typology of
concrete slab and steel girders, namely the
Trongol bridge in the Bío Bío Region and the
Nudo Barón viaduct in the Valparaíso Region.
The results of this study and some of the
damages detected are integrated into the
Chilean maintenance methodology, such as
bracing corrosion, bolt corrosion, garbage
accumulation, loss of pavement material,
buckling seismic bars, corrosion girders,
drainage tube obstructed, corrosion steel
barriers, among others. [2]
3. Data collection methodology regions of the country that should have a
for Chilean bridges special treatment or a different zoning,
considering the characteristics and
conditions that the bridges are exposed to.
Currently in Chile, visual inspections for
All bridges that were analyzed through this
different bridges in different parts of the
methodology were inspected affect the
country were made in order to collect the
Maule earthquake in 27th of February 2010
necessary data, with the support of an
and the North earthquake the 1st of April
inspection truck owned by the Ministry of
2014.
Public Works, which allows to reach places
These are the regions of the country that are
that are more difficult to access. Besides
included in each zone. North Zone: Arica and
being very safe it is possible to extend its
Parinacota Region, Tarapacá Region,
platform up to 12 m, which allows to inspect
Antofagasta, Atacama Region and Coquimbo
up to 3 lanes and it allows 4 inspectors on it.
Region; Central Zone: Valparaíso Region,
After the data has been collected the
Metropolitan Region, Libertador Bernardo
damages of the bridges are detected and
O’Higgins Region; South Zone: Maule Region,
then documented through photographs,
Biobío Region and Araucanía Region.
measurements and defect list.
In this paper, the proposed methodology is
This data is input in performance indicator
applied to one bridge of each zone, in order
table, which seeks identification,
to stablish the level of damage that these
characterization, cause, etc. to finally be
structures have and, at the same time,
added to the Chilean maintenance
identify the damages that are most recurrent
methodology and analyzed case by case of
and affect the most according to the
each bridge selected.
performance indicators used for each zone.
In the next chapters a series of damages and
The proposed bridges are following
defects obtained in the data collection will
presented.
be shown. These are performance indicators
in Chilean road bridges. The defects were 4.1 Chacalluta Bridge Inspection
classified according to their level,
The Chacalluta Bridge is located in the
performance indicator (PI), PI belonging to
provence of Arica, Arica commune, in the
the key performance indicators and the
2028 km of Rout 5 North, upon the Lluta
evaluation.
river.
Characteristic of Chacalluta Bridge: The
4. Performance Indicators on
bridge was built the year 2001, It is a double
Chilean road bridges lane bridge. It considers reinforced concrete
slab with steel beams and concrete piers.
The zones classification proposed for the The general geometrical characteristic of the
validation of the model in this methodology bridge determined during inspection are
stablish three principal zones throughout the total length: 70 m; Width: 20 m; sidewalk
country: North Zone, Central Zone and South width: 1,0 m de each side; Clearance: 10 m,
Zone. It is important to consider that the approximately. The superstructure considers
proposed zones exclude the extreme south six simply supported steel girders. The
foundations include concrete elements. The
bridge abutments are made of concrete. The
annual average daily transit is of 8535
vehicles per day (2012), therefore the road
with is enough for such transit volume.
Overall the Chacalluta bridge does not
present deformations, settlements or
indications that show significant failure
because of the 2014 earthquake.
Nonetheless it can be observed specific
situations in which some repairs will need to
be done.
Figure 1. Chacalluta Bridge
In the Chacalluta bridge the biggest damage
identified it is due an eventual event
associated to seismic action that affected the
structure in the earthquake of the year 2015.
It can be observed the accumulative variety
of materials in the abutments zones inside of
the river Lluta because of the material drag
that is caused due the action of the floods
that brings the Bolivian winter and affect
that zone in certain time of year. The records
show that this bridge was severely damage
due to this event, and it had to be replaced
for a new one in the year 2001.
Analyzing the summary of the performance
indicators methodology based on the defects
of this bridge it is possible to conclude that
from the 21 parameters presented, 11
parameters (52%) of them affect to the
whole structure (SL level) and the remaining
10 parameters (48%) affects to specific
element of the structure. The performance
indicators in 20 of the cases are measurable
and associated to technical aspects, only one
of them is not measurable and associated to
sustainability aspects. the analysis column of
the key performance indicators and their
relation with the performance indicators
shows that four parameters (19%) of the 21
defects are associated with reliability aspects
(R) indicates that presents defects that do
not give the users confidence in terms of
serviceability, comfort and safety. Other
aspects associated to maintenance, safety,
inspection and costs are most common
among other defects. The previous analysis
comes from the lack of the railing in one
section of the bridge, the detachment of
materials from a slope and the crushing of
the bearing supports of the structure.
4.2 Alhue Bridge Inspection
The Alhue bridge is locates in Cachapoal
Province, Las Cabras Comune, at the
69.020km of H-66G Rout, upon Rapel lake
Characteristics: Is a double lane bridge. It has
a deck of reinforced concrete slab with steel
girders and concrete piers.
The general geometric characteristics of the
bridge determined during the inspection are
total length: 53 m; width: 7 m; sidewalk
width: 1,0 m de each side; Clearance: 4 m,
approximately. The superstructure considers
two steel girders. The foundations consider
concrete elements. Piers and abutments
concrete are considered.

Figure 2. Chilean Inspection truck
For the Alhue bridge in the central zone, of
the 24 defects considered, 16 of them (66%)
affect the level system (SL) and only 8
parameters (33%) affect the component
level. In this context 2/3 of the defects
increase the potential for deterioration and
impairment of the entire structure. The
performance indicators in 20 of the 24 cases
are measurable and associated to technical
aspects while only 4 parameters (17%) are
not measurable and associated to
sustainability aspects.
Since this is a structure located in a fluvial
zone with high vegetation and near to the
mouth of the reservoirs Rapel, the climate
conditions favor the generation of vegetation
and organic material that affects somehow
the structure. About the key performance
indicators, 4 out of the 24 defects are
associated to reliability aspects. Just like in
the other case, the aspects that are more
common are related to Maintenance, Safety,
Inspection and Costs. It is worth mentioning
that part of the most serious defects
associated to the structure are because of
the Maule earthquake in 2010.
4.3 Bureo Bridge Inspection
Bureo Bridge is located in the Bio Bio
province, Mulchen commune, in the south
longitudinal road, upon the Mulchen river.
Characteristics: Built the year 1956, it is an
urban bridge with double lane. It has three
sections, the longest of it 27 m. The sections
are supported upon two reinforced concrete
piles and two abutments of reinforced
concrete. The deck considers a reinforced
concrete slab with 200 mm thickness. Also,
the deck considers a total with of 7,4 m. total
length: 75 m; width: 6 m; sidewalk width: 0,7
m de each side; Clearance: 6 m,
approximately.
In the Bureo bridge there are 23 defects for
the analysis. 10 parameters (43%) affect at a
system level and the 13 parameters (57%)
affects at a component level. The
performance indicators are all measurable
and associated to technical aspects. The
damages are easier to dimension in each of
the defects. In this case 7 parameters (30%)
out of the 23 are associated to reliability
aspects. And just like in the other cases the
other common aspects are related to
Maintenance, Safety, Inspection and Costs.
This bridge was also exposed to the effect of
the Maule earthquake in 2010, so the main
structural defects and associated to
deformation can be explained by this event.
Other defects are associated to scour and
loss of material in the foundation because of
the location and the zone where high
intensity rain can be observed and floods of
the Mulchen river. It is worth noting that the
zone of the bridge where the river goes, the
authorities in summer season intervenes the
river to generate a reduction of the flow in
certain zones, influencing the hydraulics
conditions. Particularly, this situation
allowed to observe the scour and exposure
of the foundation, compared to a normal
condition where the inspection is quite
complex specifically in foundations since
they are under the water level.
4.4 Zones proposal
In addition to the work done with the three
bridges described above, a work was also
carried out that incorporates 8 bridges of
each stablished zone and a list of damages,
where every defect observed at the
inspection was identified. The data was
obtained through the inspection report that
was developed in the Ministry of Publics
Works. The procedure to identify these
damages is identical as the one presented in
the three bridges before, where the
structure was inspected, photographs of the
defects were taken and later described the
visual presence of these damages in the
elements of the structure in a sheet. The
main idea is to be able to identify a pattern
of damages and defects that affect the
Chilean road bridges and its elements,
according to the zone where the bridge is
located, with the goal that it may help as an
antecedent to create maintenance and
conservation plans associated to a correct
management system that can be used in the
right time and in a preventive way,
promoting the preservation, durability,
performance and serviceability of the vitals
and critical structures inside of the road
network. Furthermore, it is expected to
identify the damages that represent
specifically Chilean road bridges.
4.5 Analysis of Collection of Chilean
Bridges by Zoning
On the north zone the bridge that presented
the most quantity of defect was Tiliviche
bridge with 19 damages, Quillagua bridge
with 22 damages and Posada bridge with 15
damages, those bridges were very close to
the epicenter of the earthquake in the year
2015 near Iquique city.
According to the data it was able to prove
that of the 8 bridges analyzed, the three
bridges mentioned above were the main
ones affected and they match geographically
with the epicenter of the earthquake.
That is the main reason that the quantity of
defects was higher. In addition, it was
possible to appreciate that more than 50% of
the damages are repeated in several other
bridges such as: corrosion in girders, crushing
of neoprene support bearing, cracks in
abutments, cracking in the asphalt, and
degradation of the concrete in girders. The
last one is attributed to constructive issues.
The 2010 earthquake also affected the
center zone of the country, where the
Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins region was
very affected. On the analysis results
summary, it was able to prove the impact
that the earthquake had in different bridges
of the country. According to the list in center
zone, the bridges that were affected the
most are: Codao bridge with 34 damages,
this is one of the oldest bridge in the group.
Maqui bridge with 26 damages. The damage
that was more repeated was damage in the
joints. This damage generated water
filtration to the crossbeams. Crack in
crossbeams were also detected in their pile
caps, and other damages affected by
environmental agents such as the oxidation
of bracings, organic material in their
supports and the presence of moisture in
piers.
In the South Zone, where the earthquake of
the year 2010 happened it was in the Maule,
Bio Bio and Araucania regions. The bridges
with the highest amount of damages are
located in the Bio Bio región. These bridges
were: Coihue bridge with 32 damages, Bio
Bio bridge with 31 damages and Perales
bridge with 29 damages. The main damages
were: crushing of support bearing,
deformation of seismic bars, loss of material
in foundation, and product of environmental
agents: moisture in piers and abutments,
efflorescence in slab or deck, efflorescence in
sidewalks, humidity in sidewalks and
vegetation. This is due that the south zone is
more prone to be affected by the natural
agents of water, that is why the damages
that are more recurrent and added to the list
are because of the humidity, unlike in the
north zone where the salt agents are the
biggest issue.
Lastly, three columns were added to the
Chilean maintenance sheets: PI, KPI and
ChPI, which are represented by PI, which are
the performance indicators for the Chilean
road bridges assessed in this paper and
considered in the international experiences.
The KPI represent the 108 parameters
proposed by TU COST and ChPI that
represent the Chilean performance
indicators not included in the European
performance indicators. The most significant
are: Lack of lateral stops in the girders,
Crushing of the Support bearings,
Displacement of the Support bearing,
degradation concrete in the piers, Vegetation
in the Channel and Remains of Previous
Structure in the Channel. This list will be
included in the Chilean damages in order to
asses correctly and representative the
bridges, according to the geography and
zoning of the country.
5. Conclusion
The characterization and definition of the
defects that affect the studied bridges allows
to identify the performance indicators
associated to each one of them. Particularly,
the three bridges analyzed presented
different defects that European performance
indicators. This ChPI are obtaining and
recognizing according to the location of the
structure in Chile (in the zones defined in this
paper) which are the most important defects
and therefore, being able to acknowledge
the damages that affect them the most,
aiming to stablish a conservation and
maintenance plan.
An analysis of a list of 24 bridges – 8 for each
different defined zone- was made where is
presented every damage in them. It is
important to emphasize that from this
analysis it is possible to stablish several
conclusions. Firstly, damage can be identified
in structural elements and significant
displacements in bridges in North and South
Zone. This is evidence of the influence of the
earthquakes from 2015 and 2010,
respectively, and in particular, of those near
to the location of the epicenter. It is
important to identify that the presence of
major or minor displacements are due to
factors that are activated with an
earthquake, such as the geotechnical
behavior of where the structure is located
and the age of the structure in terms of
design and use of structural elements in
bridges such as seismic stoppers or the
positioning of seismic bars, and the length of
the support deck.
Additionally, it is possible to identify
damages associated with corrosion mainly in
the North and South Zone, and in particular,
in bridges near the coast. For the North Zone
the corrosive action is induced mainly by the
penetration of chlorides in the concrete,
because the environments and soil in
general, have a high concentration of salts
that in the presence of a minimum of
humidity begin to attack the structures
causing problems in the steel reinforcements
(exposed or not), in the unprotected steel
beams, in the joints and plates, in the
bracing, among others. In the South Zone on
the other hand, this damage is recognizable
due to climatic agents in themselves that
product to the great humidity present in the
zones and their high degree of exposure to
this type of environments, generate the
formation of oxides in the steel elements
exposed and its subsequent corrosion,
generating losses in its section and impairing
its durability, performance and serviceability.
In Coastal Zones, this phenomenon is even
clearer because, added to the environmental
conditions described, exposure to saline
environments is added, causing the same
effects described for the North Zone.
6. References
[1] Márquez, M. Valenzuela, Arias, G. &
Sepulveda, C. (2018). Management
Systems for Inspection and Maintenance
of Chilean Road Bridges. IABMAS
Conference 2018 Melbourne, Australia.
[2] Bustamante, R. & Guerrero, J. Memoria
de título: “Índices de desempeño
Desarrollo del modelo en Chile y
validación en dos Puentes de vigas
metálicas con tablero de hormigón”.
Trabajo de titulación presentado en
conformidad a los requisitos para obtener
título de Ingeniero en Construcción,
Universidad de Universidad Católica de
Valparaíso, Facultad de Ingeniería ,
Departamento de Ingeniería ,Valparaíso,
2017.
[3] Casas J.R., Campos J. (2016). Quality
specifications for highway bridges:
standardization and homogenization at
the European level (COST TU-1406).
Proceedings of IABSE Conference.
Guangzhou (China) Zürich.
[4] Marquez, M., Valenzuela M.A. Espinoza J.,
Campusano J. (2016), Proposal
Maintenance Plan on Cable Supported
Bridges. Chilean experience and future
challenges, Proceedings 8th international
conference on Bridge Maintenance,
Safety and Management, Foz do Iguaçu
(Brazil), 26-30 June 2016. London: Taylor
and Francis
[5] Matos, J.C., Casas, J.R., Fernandes, S.
(2016) COST Action TU1406 Quality
Specifications for Roadway Bridges
(BridgeSpec). Proceedings 8th
international conference on Bridge
Maintenance, Safety and Management,
Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil), 26-30 June 2016.
London: Taylor and Francis.[6] Valenzuela,
M.A. &; Márquez, M. (2014)
Consideraciones para la Inspección y
Mantenimiento del Puente Chacao,
Proceedings X Congreso Internacional
sobre Patologías y Recuperación de
Estructuras, Santiago, Chile .
[7] Valenzuela M.A. (2016) State of Art of
Bridges Maintenance Programs in South
America. Experience on seismic hazards
and scour. TU COST WG MEETINGS &
WORKSHOP An overview of Key
Performance Indicators across Europe
and Overseas - The main findings from
WG1 and other contributions. Serbia
[8] Valenzuela M.A., Valenzuela N., and
Romo R. (2017) Management System for
natural Risk Disaster on Infrastructure:
Regional approach (GRDR). 11th
International Bridge and Structure
Management Conference. TRB
Proceedings Mesa – Arizona, EEUU.
[9] Valenzuela, M., Valenzuela, N., Peña-Frits,
A. & Romo, R.(2018). Management
System for Natural Risk Disaster on
Infrastructure: A Regional Approach.
IABMAS Conference 2018 Melbourne,
Australia.
[10] Zuñiga, K. Memoria de título: “Estudio
de índices de desempeño para
mantenimiento en puentes carreteros
aplicación Chile” Trabajo de titulación
presentado en conformidad a los
requisitos para obtener título de
Constructor Civil, Universidad de Santiago
de Chile, Facultad de Ingeniería,
Departamento de Ingeniería ,Santiago,
2017