Experience and status of instrumented durability monitoring of concrete bridges in Norway

Within the Norwegian Public Roads Administration, the use sensors of durability monitoring (potentials, corrosion rates, resistivity etc.) was first investigated during a research project on a North Norwegian bridge in the beginning of the 1990s. The knowledge earned from this initial test has been used to compile national recommendations shortly after. Still, durability sensors are seldom used on bridges in Norway today, apart from systems for cathodic protection where potential measurements are frequently executed. During the 1990s to 2020s, durability monitoring was several times applied in research projects and results show how sensors effectively can be used to assess corrosion and durability in concrete elements. To promote the use of durability sensors, the Norwegian Concrete Repair Association newly published a guideline on how to use, install and analyze durability monitoring systems.

The paper summarized experience with the use of sensors for durability monitoring on Norwegian bridges and research projects. Today, there is an increasing demand for solutions allowing the automated monitoring for bridge safety and durability. The status and possible further applications of durability sensors on Norwegian bridges are briefly discussed at the end of the paper.