ABSTRACT
Many Dutch hydraulic structures are approaching the end of their design life, requiring asset owners to determine how long they can safely operate beyond this period to effectively prioritize replacement and renovation. Existing assessment standards (e.g., NEN8700 (NEN, 2020)) lack an easy-to-implement and comprehensive approach for evaluating residual technical service life. Current semi-probabilistic methods have limitations: (1) they rely on fixed reference periods, restricting the ability to estimate when failures may occur in the future, and (2) they focus on individual structures, making them inefficient for groups of similar assets. This position paper presents a reliability-based methodology for end-of-life assessment, serving as a theoretical guideline and offering a structured approach that integrates probabilistic methods. Additionally, a typology-based classification is introduced to improve applicability across various hydraulic structures, enabling more systematic and scalable assessments. By addressing these gaps, this research enhances lifespan predictions and helps to optimize maintenance, renovation, and asset management strategies.
