Bridge Damage Detection Using Weigh-in-Motion Technology

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel Level I damage-detection technique for short- to medium-span road bridges using weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology. The technique is based on the input provided by two WIM systems: (1) a pavement-based WIM station located in the same route as the bridge (which gives vehicle weight estimates without the influence of the bridge), and (2) a bridge-based WIM (B-WIM) system that estimates vehicle weights based on the deformation of the bridge. The authors show that the ratio of estimations of vehicle weights by both systems is a reliable and robust indicator of structural integrity, even for WIM systems with relatively poor accuracy. They further show that this indicator is more sensitive to damage than the traditional method based on variation in natural frequencies.