Automated bridge monitoring
A new generation of instruments and analysis tools helps with monitoring and assessing the structural soundness of large infrastructures. Yet, despite clear commercial potential for damage detection and structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies, significant interdisciplinary and intersectorial barriers affect industrial uptake of the technologies. The EU-funded 'Internet-based structural health monitoring system' (ISMS) project addressed the issues. The three-member consortium planned to develop a procedure for automated, Internet-based detection and analysis of structural damage in large infrastructures, particularly bridges. The project also aimed for a transfer of knowledge between academia and industry, and ran over four years to August 2014. Team members extended the current state of the art in terms of algorithms, data processing and interfaces. Work included creation of a progressive damage monitoring system. This stage allowed subsequent development of an Internet-based SHM system, permitting the autonomous monitoring of hundreds of bridges. The project also developed means of visually displaying large amounts of complex data, such as evacuation routes. The consortium characterised, modelled and evaluated various technical concepts and algorithms for application in its SHM system. Testing led to optimisation of data processing. Partners also combined its two research areas – algorithms and data processing – with regard to the system's interface. The ISMS project yielded a commercial software package, Artemis, allowing automated monitoring of the structural condition of numerous bridges. The group also achieved strong interdisciplinary coupling and knowledge exchange.
Keywords
Bridge monitoring, automated detection, bridges, infrastructure, structural health monitoring
