Long-Term Wireless Structural Health Monitoring of the Ferriby Road Bridge
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 15, Issue 2
Abstract
As part of an effective bridge management system, sensor networks can provide data to support both inspection and assessment. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have the potential to offer significant advantages over traditional wired monitoring systems in terms of sensor, cabling, and installation costs as well as expandability. However, there are drawbacks with WSNs relating to power, data bandwidth, and robustness. To evaluate the potential of WSNs for use in bridge management, a network of seven sensor nodes was installed on the Ferriby Road Bridge, a three-span reinforced concrete bridge. Three displacement transducer nodes were placed across cracks on the soffit of the bridge to measure the change in crack width. Three inclinometer sensor nodes were mounted on two of the elastomeric bearing pads to measure the change in inclination of the bearing pads while a final node monitored temperature in the box that contained the gateway. The installation of the WSN is discussed and data from this network is analyzed. Finally, the use of sensor networks to support inspection and assessment is discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The writers wish to thank the EPSRC and the Humber Bridge Board for their generous support. The writers also wish to thank Tom Sanderson, Peter Bennett, Yusuke Kobayashi, Martin Touhey, Ian Wassell, and all those who made invaluable contributions to this research.
References
Collins, M. P., and Mitchell, D. (1997). Prestressed concrete structures, Response Publications, Toronto.
Feltrin, G., Meyer, J., and Bischoff, R. (2007). “Wireless sensor networks for long term monitoring of civil structures.” Proc., 2nd Int. Conf. on Experimental Vibration Analysis for Civil Engineering Structures, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, 95–111.
Grosse, C. (2008). “Monitoring of structures using wireless sensors and acoustic emission techniques.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Challenges for Civil Construction, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, 28–38.
Hoult, N. A., Fidler, P. R. A., Wassell, I. J., and Middleton, C. R. (2008). “Wireless structural health monitoring at the Humber Bridge.” Proc., ICE—Bridge Eng., 161(4), 189–195.
Hui, S. C. M. (2002). “Module angle of solar panels.” ⟨http://www.arch.hku.hk/research/BEER/angle.htm⟩ (August 13, 2008).
Kim, S., et al. (2007). “Health monitoring of civil infrastructures using wireless sensor networks.” Proc., 6th Int. Symp. on Information Processing in Sensor Networks, ACM Press, New York, 254–263.
Lynch, J. P., Wang, Y., Loh, K. J., Yi, J. -H., and Yun, C. -B. (2006). “Performance monitoring of the Geumdang Bridge using a dense network of high-resolution wireless sensors.” Smart Mater. Struct., 15(6), 1561–1575.
Moore, M., Phares, B., Graybeal, B., Rolander, D., and Washer, G. (2001). “Reliability of visual inspection for highway bridges, Volume I: Final report.” Rep. Prepared for Federal Highway Administration, FHWA, McClean, Va.
Saetta, A. V. (2005). “Deterioration of reinforced concrete structures due to chemical-physical phenomena: Model-based simulation.” J. Mater. Civ. Eng., 17(3), 313–319.
Wu, Y., and Wassell, I. (2008). “Investigation of close-to-wall wireless sensor deployment using 2D finite-difference time-domain modeling.” Proc., Int. Conf. on Wireless Communications in Underground and Confined Areas, ICWCUCA, Val-d'Or, Canada, 5.
Zhou, Z., Wegner, L. D., and Sparling, B. F. (2007). “Vibration-based detection of small scale damage on a bridge deck.” J. Struct. Eng., 133(9), 1257–1267.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 15 • Issue 2 • March 2010
Pages: 153 - 159
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 7, 2008
Accepted: May 14, 2009
Published online: Feb 12, 2010
Published in print: Mar 2010
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.