Damage identification in bridge structures: review of available methods and case studies

Bridges are integral parts of the infrastructure and play a major role in civil engineering. Bridge health monitoring is necessary to extend the life of a bridge and retain safety. Periodic monitoring contributes significantly in keeping these structures operational and extends structural integrity. Different researchers have proposed different methods for identifying bridge damages based on different theories and laboratory tests. Several review papers have been published in the literature on the identification of damage and crack in bridge structures in the last few decades. In this paper, a review of literature on damage identification in bridge structures based on different methods and theories is carried out. The aim of this paper is to critically evaluate different methods that have been proposed to detect damages in different bridges. Different papers have been carefully reviewed, and the gaps, limitations, and superiority of the methods used are identified. Furthermore, in most of the reviews, future applications and several sustainable methods which are necessary for bridge monitoring are covered. This study significantly contributes to the literature by critically examining different methods, giving guidelines on the methods that identify the damages in bridge structures more accurately, and serving as a good reference for other researchers and future works.