Refurbishment of Existing Steel Structures – an Actual Problem

Many steel structures erected at the end of the XIX and begin ofthe XX-centuries still are in function. Some of these structures,particularly bridges, have already achieved an age of ninety,hundred or even more years and are still in operation afterdamages, several phases of repair and strengthening. Replacementwith new structures raises financial, technical and politicalproblems. The budget of the administration gets smaller.Information about the safety of the structure, the remaining life,the costs for maintenance etc. are important. Nobody will takethe responsibility for failure of a structure as a result of budgetrestriction. The aim of the paper is to emphasize the importanceof refurbishment of existing steel structures, part of sustainabledevelopment.