PSI - Issue 84

Gianni Moor et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 84 (2026) 1079–1086

1086

Moreover, employing advanced NDT techniques for regular diagnostics provides detailed insight into the structure’s condition while causing negligible disruption, thus preserving both the tangible and intangible value of the asset. The data obtained from these inspections enable efficient allocation of maintenance resources and support long term sustainability planning for the bridge network. Demonstrating a high standard of structural health management also boosts stakeholder confidence—whether those stakeholders are public authorities, investors or the traveling public. In the long run, maintaining a good safety record and reliable performance results in greater trust and support, reinforcing the bridge’s status as a sound and profitable investment in the community’s infrastructure. 9. Conclusion Since corrosion is typically the greatest threat to the condition and performance of post-tensioning systems, an effective approach to assessing the condition of grouted systems is to investigate the presence and extent of voids in the grouting, since this can identify locations where water could accumulate and cause corrosion. Once the presence of voids has been established, the problem may be addressed, preventing the problem from deteriorating. Non destructive testing methods such as ground-penetrating radar and ultrasonic pulse echo, combined with targeted drilling to confirm findings, facilitates more comprehensive investigation of a structure’s post-tensioning system while reducing costs and minimizing damage to this critical structural element. Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the work of BBR VT International, Proceq and Screening Eagle Technologies in developing the expertise on which this paper was based. References Federal Highways Administration. 2013. FHWA-HRT-13-028: Guidelines for Sampling, Assessing, and Restoring Defective Grout in Prestressed Concrete Bridge Post-Tensioning Ducts. Federal Highways Administration. 2022. FHWA-HRT-22-090: Corrosion-Induced Durability Issues and Maintenance Strategies for Post Tensioned Concrete Bridges. Highways England, 2025. Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, Highway Structures & Bridges – Inspection & Assessment. CS 465 Management of post-tensioned concrete bridges (formerly BD 54/15). Mazzatura, I., Casas, J. R., Salvatore, W., & Caprili, S. (2024). Reliability of ultrasonic tomography in detecting grouting defects in post-tensioned structures by PoD curves. Engineering Structures, 302(117352), 117352. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2023.117352. Mazzatura, I., Salvatore, W., Caprili, S., Celati, S., Mori, M., & Gammino, M. (2023). Damage detection, localization, and quantification for steel cables of post-tensioned bridge decks. Structures, 57, 105314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2023.105314. Terzioglu, T., Karthik, M. M., Hurlebaus, S., & Hueste, M. B. D. (2019). Systematic Assessment of Nondestructive Evaluation Techniques for Post-Tensioning and Stay Cable Systems. Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)IS.1943-555X.0000493. Terzioglu, T., Karthik, M. M., Hurlebaus, S., Hueste, M. B. D., Maack, S., Woestmann, J., Wiggenhauser, H., Krause, M., Miller, P. K., & Olson, L. D. (2018). Nondestructive evaluation of grout defects in internal tendons of post-tensioned girders. NDT and E International, 99, 23–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ndteint.2018.05.013 2.