Development and field evaluation of a low-cost bridge bearing movement monitoring system

Sensor-based monitoring of bridges has the potential to be an important tool to supplement visual inspection. Monitoring can provide quantitative data to evaluate the condition of bridge components (e.g. bearings and expansion joints) and to inform operation and maintenance decisions. However, the u...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of civil structural health monitoring 2024-04, Vol.14 (4), p.931-946
Main Authors: Heykoop, Isabel, Hoult, Neil, Woods, Joshua E., Fernando, Heshan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerometers
Bridge maintenance
Civil Engineering
Control
Dynamical Systems
Engineering
Expansion joints
Hybrid systems
Installation costs
Internet of Things
Low cost
Measurement Science and Instrumentation
Microelectromechanical systems
Monitoring
Monitoring systems
Original Paper
Performance evaluation
Vibration
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Summary:Sensor-based monitoring of bridges has the potential to be an important tool to supplement visual inspection. Monitoring can provide quantitative data to evaluate the condition of bridge components (e.g. bearings and expansion joints) and to inform operation and maintenance decisions. However, the use of sensor systems to monitor bridges is often limited by cost. This paper presents the design, development, and field implementation of a low-cost micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and Internet of things (IoT)-based system to measure bridge bearing movement. The developed system uses accelerometers and converts changes in gravitational acceleration to longitudinal bearing displacement. The monitoring system uses a hybrid wired/wireless approach, in which the sensing nodes are wired to a gateway node from which data is transmitted to the cloud. Power is provided by means of a single battery that is charged using a solar panel. To evaluate the system performance in the field, it was installed on the Waaban Crossing in Kingston, Canada. Results of the study showed that the proposed system was capable of measuring movement of the bridge at a cost that was significantly less than a commercial monitoring system. Limitations of the system, cost of installation, and calibration of the sensors are also discussed.
ISSN:2190-5452
2190-5479
DOI:10.1007/s13349-024-00771-3