The Structure Maintenance Section of “EGNATIA ODOS S.A”, has the experience, the know-how and the special equipment to carry out all types of inspections of on service highway structures, as it actually performs for the hundreds of bridges, tunnels and geotechnical structures of Egnatia Motorway. In particular:

·        Visual inspection of bridges, culverts, tunnels and geotechnical structures, following a detailed inspection manual for detecting deterioration, cracking, other structural or functional problems.

·        Catastrophic and non catastrophic tests using special equipment in order to experimentally determine the mechanical and electrochemical properties of existing concrete structures, as compressive strength, elasticity, resistivity, potential for steel corrosion. The tests are the following:

–        Rebound value measurement of R/Concrete & P/concrete structures

–        (Schmidt Hammer)

–        Pulse velocity measurements

–        Half cell measurements

–        Electric resistivity measurements

–        Scanning for reinforcement & concrete cover measurement

–        Concrete core drilling for:

• Carbonation test
• Chlorides content test
• Strength & modulus of elasticity lab test
• Chemical & petrographic laboratory analysis

·        Instrumental structural monitoring for measuring the structural response: Acceleration, velocity, displacement, strain.

The methodologies and the respective equipment used for monitoring are:

–       ambient or seismic vibration monitoring with accelerometers or velocitometers

–       strain – stress – displacement- temperature monitoring with fiber optic sensors (FBG sensors)

–       anemometers for wind monitoring.

The measurements are interpreted by the use of our self- developed software for:

·        Modal Analysis (identification of frequencies, damping, ratios, mode shapes)

·        Model updating (calibration of bridge model, damage detection).

·        Load capacity based on displacement or strain measurements

·        Fatigue analysis:

• Recording & Coding of the Data and Findings using an extended computerized Database.
• Functional and structural Condition evaluation of the inspected structures
• Maintenance programming for repairs, strengthening, replacing structures of Motorway networks.