Rapportage inventarisatie enkelvoudige voegen - Curnet

Noise reduction has been an important requirement for some twenty years. This encouraged the use of
bituminous joints. On most of the stretches of the Dutch highways open asphalt pavement is used for
noise reduction too. Steel nosing joints are regarded as noisy compared to bituminous joints.
Is there a tendency to avoid joints in bridge structures?
In the past the Dutch bridge designers have paid not much attention to reduction of the number of
joints. Awareness is growing; a research project joint less bridges is an example of this.
3. Manufacturing and installation
How is dealt with the manufacturing an installation procedures and quality control aspects? Do
internal or external institutions carry out manufacturing and installation inspections?
Installation is crucial for the lifetime of the joints. In The Netherlands installation after pavement construction
is the common procedure. The contactor in most cases performs quality control, using quality assurance
procedures according to ISO standards. In practice this does not always result in technical optimal
procedures. A problem in enforcing strict quality control procedures is that liability of the contractor is limited
to cost of the construction only, while effects of damage or short lifetime on cost for traffic measures are
much higher than cost of a joint. Not to speak of user cost due to congestion caused by repairs.
4. Inspection and maintenance
Who is carrying out inspections and the evaluation of the results?
Inspections consist of regular visual inspections and technical inspections.
The local maintenance staff performs regular visual inspections at least once a year. Routine
maintenance is determined by such inspections. Additional visual checks are performed continuously as
part of regular overall observations.
Technical inspections are planned on object level either incidentally or periodically. The objective of these
inspections is to update the preservation plans based on the actual condition of the bridge. Inspection
planning is geared to the maintenance planning. The inspection interval of bridges varies in practice from 5
to 10 years. Technical inspections are contracted out for more than 80%.
Inspection measures consist of the elements to be inspected, , specified with inspection instructions
where relevant
The main objective of the periodical technical inspections is to check and actualise the preservation plan. For
this conclusions can be:
• Maintenance measure in plan correct, where necessary update of advised year of execution
• Additional investigation necessary
Specific regulations for bridge inspection intervals are not available in the Netherlands. General
codes and regulations are applicable. Most relevant are building codes and regulations and
standards for electrical installations. A backlog has developed in inspections due to shortage of
budget. The option of postponing inspections is introduced by not having strict regulations for
inspection intervals.
57 Rapportage inventarisatie enkelvoudige voegen