Development of a pile condition index and a road map for the development of a structural section rating

For the managers of waterfront facilities, routine infrastructure condition assessments are a necessity. Damage resulting from overloading events and deterioration caused by any number of mechanisms can significantly comprise the physical integrity and operational condition of a facility. Existing methods for assessing the condition of waterfront facilities tend to be highly subjective and not well suited for use within an automated management program.; The Pile Condition Index (CI), a more objective and repeatable method for assessing the condition of concrete piles, is developed in this thesis. The Pile CI takes routine inspection data and transforms them into a standardized numeric rating, which indicates both the physical integrity of the pile and the level of remedial action necessary to correct any observed defects. The transformation of defect data into a numeric rating is accomplished using a weighted deduct-density model. A direct rating approach was used in developing the model, which is calibrated to produce values similar to averaged consensus ratings assigned by a panel of expert waterfront engineers. Results obtained through limited field verification indicate good correlation between computed Pile CI ratings and average expert panel field ratings.; The Delphi method was successfully employed as a novel approach to further validate the weighted deduct-density model. Results from the Delphi study generally supported the model well. Surprisingly, the Delphi method identified some minor deficiencies in the model that had been overlooked during development and field verification.; In order to accommodate the application of the Pile CI to large facilities with more piles than can practically be inspected, recommendations for using the index with a sampling strategy are provided. In addition, a road map for the development of a "Structural Section Rating" is presented to illustrate how the Pile CI may be used---in the future---with additional CIs for assessing condition of larger elements of a facility.