Applications of drone inspection and use of strain-hardening cementitious composites (ECC/SHCC) in lowering carbon footprint and lifecycle cost of bridges

Abstract

<p>Drone inspection is becoming quite common in condition monitoring of built infrastructure such as bridges. For the repair of defects identified from such inspection use of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), also known as Strain-Hardening Cementitious Composites (SHCC), a class of advanced fibre-reinforced cement-based materials with ductile tensile properties can be effectively used as indicated in many structural applications over the last twenty years. In particular, their use in link slabs of the bridge decks as well as other structural elements in reinforced concrete and composite bridges is quite noteworthy. This paper reviews several such applications in light of the emerging challenges in bridge design requiring long service life and low life cycle costs throughout operation and maintenance. It is concluded that in spite of its higher initial material cost, the use of ECC/SHCC in bridge construction and repairs would result in lower life cycle costs, carbon footprint and better sustainability.<br></p>