Optimal maintenance policy for permanently monitored infrastructure subjected to extreme events

► The model defines the optimum maintenance policy of a system that deteriorates as a result of shocks.
► Static and pre-defined maintenance policies are suboptimal for long lasting infrastructure.
► The maintenance strategy proposed is based on impulse control models and permanent monitoring.
► The time of maintenances and the extent of interventions are optimized simultaneously.
► The optimum solution maximizes the discounted cost–benefit relationship.

Structures and infrastructure management is concerned with the actions required to maximize the system availability, which is seriously challenged by structural deterioration as a result of the normal use or due to external demands imposed by adverse environmental conditions. Given the large uncertainty in the system's performance through life, an optimal maintenance policy requires both permanent monitoring and a cost-efficient plan of interventions. This paper presents a model to define an optimal maintenance policy for structures that deteriorate as a result of extreme events (e.g., earthquakes) based on an impulse control model. Furthermore, the deterioration model takes into account the effect of damage accumulation. Hence, the time at which maintenance is carried out and the extent of interventions are optimized simultaneously to maximize the cost–benefit relationship. The model is illustrated with two examples. The results show that if there exists a good permanent monitoring system, the model provides a cost-effective and practical and long-term tool for managing infrastructure.