ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: Deformations resulting from delayed behaviour of materials are the source of serviceability troubles for users and may distribute unwanted stresses into structures. This paper illustrates these phenomenon for the Savines and for the Cheviré bridges which suffer from spectacular delayed deformations. Thanks to a structural health monitoring system installed on the Cheviré bridge, theoretical deflections as given by standards are compared with the variation of sag. It shows that the measurements exceed the calculated deflection and that the latter does not enable the prediction of deformation rates. Empirical corrections of the material laws are therefore proposed in order to comply with respect to uncertain, unknown and sensitive parameters. The proposed method enables to evaluate the current condition of the structure and to check its limit states. A discussion is then being held about the relevance of the proposed optimization procedure and the ability to forecast future deformations.
