Structural health monitoring of existing concrete bridges with AASHTO Type IV girder using Smartbridge Sensor Nodes

Abstract

There are more than 8,000 bridges in the Philippines today, most of which are Concrete Bridges. As the Bridge infrastructure has aged towards the requirement for effective monitoring, the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of bridges has become increasingly significant. Currently, in the Philippines, the method for structural integrity evaluation of bridges is limited to on-site visual inspection. Moreover, visual inspections have proven to be deficient in assessing the actual condition of a certain bridge. For this study, SmartBridge Sensor Nodes were utilized for SHM to further evaluate the health of a bridge. Acceleration readings gathered by the sensor shall aid indicate the actual health of the bridge in which visual inspections are incapable of. To efficiently utilize the sensors, the methods of proper installation and location for placement of sensors on an existing concrete bridge with American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Type IV Girders was determined. In addition, the SHM System used in this study utilized a wireless method to upload data from the sensors to a central server or system, wherein the data are processed and monitored against set thresholds. Output of this study also includes a portal or webpage wherein different type of users are able to view and access data for monitoring and assessment. Transmission of data and portal access are available online, in which overall, makes the SHM System wireless.