Proposal of a condition index for maintenance of runway beams

Condition-based maintenance is a maintenance philosophy based on systematic visual inspection and condition ratings. Condition-based maintenance requires specific visual inspection protocols and condition rating models calibrated for each type of infrastructure. The purpose of this study is to explore the development of a method for estimating the current condition of a type of infrastructure based on visual inspection and expert judgement. A condition index, based on the condition-based maintenance philosophy, is proposed for use in assessing the current condition of a type of infrastructure and establishing maintenance strategies such as rehabilitation, reconstruction and restoration. The method was applied to runway beams fabricated in a steelworks company in Chile. Two models – a linear model and a dichotomic model – were calibrated and the correlation coefficients obtained were 0·9 for both models. It is thus concluded that the method is suitable and easily applicable under the condition-based maintenance concept. Further research is needed to improve the model by including maintenance costs.