Scientists use an old bridge for new tests

Scientists at Britain's National Physical Laboratory say they have saved a 46-year-old foot bridge from demolition and will use it to develop new technology.

Scientists at the facility -- the national measurement standards laboratory for the United Kingdom -- said the 14-ton, 66-foot-long and 16-foot-high bridge had been used to allow access from one side of the NPL site to the other.

With redevelopment of the NPL site the bridge had become redundant. But rather than demolish the bridge, researchers will use it as a demonstrator to try different techniques for maximizing a structure's lifetime while minimizing maintenance costs.

During the three-year project the bridge will be loaded until it cracks, repaired using new composite repair methods and then retested.

NPL officials said the opportunity to have a large scale structure that can be abused while being monitored is a once-in-a-lifetime event and will provide evidence for the cost saving benefits of structural health monitoring.

[United Press International]