IIW White Paper

9 Needs and challenges of major industry sectors for future applications

excessive fatigue damage and corrosion loss that went unchecked. To prevent this, considerable research is ongoing in the bridge health monitoring arena. A variety of sensors are available in the market that can be incorporated in a warning system to alert bridge owners to conduct timely maintenance, or in case of imminent failure, to shut down a bridge to save lives. Nations will benefit by adopting and implementing appropriate, ready-to-go researched information and technologies, products, or processes that can result in economic or qualitative benefits. A comprehensive list of such items to meet the needs of all countries is not possible in this paper, but here are a few broad items that are considered as significant and have high potential for bridges, including welded steel bridges. Global Positioning System (GPS): GPS uses satellites that transmit signals continuously and has many highway applications including surveying pavement and bridge deck conditions, and inventorying highway assets. GPS offers increased accuracy and reduces labour, time and costs. Accelerated construction: Accelerated construction is an approach to highway construction employing many techniques and technologies. This approach will bring to the attention of the highway community many innovations and research results currently available but not generally applied. Concepts and ideas must be defined if plans to implement them into highway engineering practice are to be fulfilled. Using accelerated construction techniques or technologies will accelerate the construction of highway projects with extended service lives to reduce user delay and community disruption. Prefabricated bridge elements and systems: Prefabricated bridge elements and systems may be manufactured on-site or off-site, under controlled conditions, and brought to the job location ready to install. These systems minimise traffic impacts of bridge construction projects, improve construction zone safety, make construction less disruptive for the environment, increase quality and lower life-cycle costs. Using these systems reduces traffic and environmental impacts by minimising the need for lane closures, detours, and use of narrow lanes. The key is to reflect changing times and customer expectations that have broadened the job facing the welding industry. Today, the job is not just putting welded components together to build a bridge, but to find ways to join and erect the members rapidly to enhance mobility and productivity, which are the core of the transportation industry. The leadership in the welding community has been striving to identify critical performance gaps that must be addressed as short-term solutions and these must align with long-term strategic direction. This should help support welding needs of related industries in any country. For example, the following table identifies ( a) Short-term technical elements and (b) Long-term strategic direction for meeting USA transportation needs for highways (from the Strategic Highway Research Programme Report 260). For success in meeting transportation needs, all partners and contributors, including welding professionals, working to close short-term gaps and to meet long-term strategic goals must identify their respective needs and align them accordingly.

Short - term performance gaps Long - term strategic direction • Safety • Congestion • Environmental Streamlining & Stewardship • Safety • Mobility and Productivity • Human & Natural Environment • National Security • Organisational Excellence

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Through Optimum Use and Innovation of Welding and Joining Technologies

Improving Global Quality of Life