Innovative Design of a Health Monitoring System and Its Implementation in a Complicated Long-Span Arch Bridge

Abstract

The implementation and operation of health monitoring systems in structures is an effective method of evaluating structural serviceability, reliability, safety, and integrity and providing economical maintenance and repair planning. This paper reports on an innovative structural health monitoring (SHM) system designed and permanently deployed on a complicated long-span arch bridge during its construction for the purpose of continuous performance monitoring throughout the bridge’s lifespan. The SHM system integrates several novel and practice-based concepts—i.e., life-cycle concerns for system design and implementation; newly designed high-performance sensors; flexible, modularized hardware and software; multilevel data management; multiscale condition evaluation; and reliable warning strategies. More than 300 sensors of 10 types are installed on the bridge with the aim of monitoring the environmental effects and structural responses. The innovative design and implementation of the monitoring system are presented together with a functional description of each subsystem. Selected preliminary monitoring results are outlined, including structural temperatures, main girder deformations, relationship between structural temperature and main girder deformation, and dynamic responses. The architecture of this SHM system is expected to provide a valuable reference for other structures.