Numerical investigation of bridges with the aim of condition assessment in applying the Deformation Area Difference method (DAD-method) and selecting appropriate measurement techniques

Condition assessment of existing road bridges gains ever increasing importance today as bridges are getting older and the inflow of heavy traffic is constantly increasing. The further development of recognized techniques and the development of new methods for early and accurate detection of damage to the structure are made possible by means of innovative technological progress. In this contribution, the principles of Defor-mation Area Difference Method (DAD-Method) for condition assessment of bridges are presented. This method is based on the further processing of measured and computed deformation values. The application of the DAD-Method requires a precise recording of the deflection of a load-deflection test. On the basis of theoretical cal-culations, this method has allowed to identify as well as to localise damage to a structure. The DAD-Method is independent of a reference measurement and insensitive to global influences such as temperature fluctuations. For precise detection of deformations, the most modern measuring instruments and methods like photogram-metry, total stations, displacement sensors, strain gauges and levelling are compared to each other. In collabo-ration with the appropriate measurement technology, the localisation of damage in bridges becomes possible.