• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.129-144
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• 2014

In this paper, a fuzzy inference system and an analytical hierarchy process-based online evaluation technique is developed to monitor the condition of the 32-km Donghai Bridge in Shanghai. The system has 478 sensors distributed along eight segments selected from the whole bridge. An online evaluation subsystem is realized, which uses raw data and extracted features or indices to give a set of hierarchically organized condition evaluations. The thresholds of each index were set to an initial value obtained from a structure damage and performance evolution analysis of the bridge. After one year of baseline monitoring, the initial threshold system was updated from the collected data. The results show that the techniques described are valid and reliable. The online method fulfills long-term infrastructure health monitoring requirements for the Donghai Bridge.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.601-609
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• 2018

The estimated probabilistic model of wind data based on the conventional approach may have high discrepancy compared with the true distribution because of the uncertainty caused by the instrument error and limited monitoring data. A sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm-based finite mixture modeling method has been developed in the companion paper and is conducted to formulate the joint probability density function (PDF) of wind speed and direction using the wind monitoring data of the investigated bridge. The established bivariate model of wind speed and direction only represents the features of available wind monitoring data. To characterize the stochastic properties of the wind parameters with the subsequent wind monitoring data, in this study, Bayesian inference approach considering the uncertainty is proposed to update the wind parameters in the bivariate probabilistic model. The slice sampling algorithm of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method is applied to establish the multi-dimensional and complex posterior distribution which is analytically intractable. The numerical simulation examples for univariate and bivariate models are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. In addition, the proposed Bayesian inference approach is used to update and optimize the parameters in the bivariate model using the wind monitoring data from the investigated bridge. The results indicate that the proposed Bayesian inference approach is feasible and can be employed to predict the bivariate distribution of wind speed and direction with limited monitoring data.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.585-599
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• 2023

Field monitoring techniques offer an attractive approach for understanding bridge behavior under in-service loads. However, the investigations on bridge behavior under high-speed train load using field monitoring data are limited. The focus of this study is to explore the structural behavior of an in-service long-span steel truss arch bridge based on field monitoring data. First, the natural frequencies of the structure, as well as the train driving frequencies, are extracted. Then, the train-induced bearing displacement and structural strain are explored to identify the effects of train loads and bearings. Subsequently, a sensitivity analysis is performed for the impact factor of strain responses with respect to the train speed, train weight, and temperature to identify the fundamental issues affecting these responses. Additionally, a similar sensitivity analysis is conducted for the peak acceleration. The results indicate that the friction force in bearings provides residual deformations when two consecutive trains are in opposite directions. In addition, the impact factor and peak acceleration are primarily affected by train speed, particularly near train speeds that result in the resonance of the bridge response. The results can provide additional insight into the behavior of the long-span steel truss bridges under in-service high-speed train loads.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.183-197
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• 2023

For long-span bridges with a structural health monitoring (SHM) system, environmental temperature-driven responses are proved to be a main component in measurements. However, anomalous structural behavior may be hidden incomplicated recorded data. In order to receive reliable assessment of structural performance, it is important to study therelationship between temperature and monitoring data. This paper presents an application of the cointegration based methodology to detect anomalies that may be masked by temperature effects and then forecast the temperature-induced deflection (TID) of long-span suspension bridges. Firstly, temperature effects on girder deflection are analyzed with fieldmeasured data of a suspension bridge. Subsequently, the cointegration testing procedure is conducted. A threshold-based anomaly detection framework that eliminates the influence of environmental temperature is also proposed. The cointegrated residual series is extracted as the index to monitor anomaly events in bridges. Then, wavelet separation method is used to obtain TIDs from recorded data. Combining cointegration theory with autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model, TIDs for longspan bridges are modeled and forecasted. Finally, in-situ measurements of Xihoumen Bridge are adopted as an example to demonstrate the effectiveness of the cointegration based approach. In conclusion, the proposed method is practical for actual structures which ensures the efficient management and maintenance based on monitoring data.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.637-662
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• 2013

The Jiangyin Bridge is a suspension bridge with a main span of 1385 m over the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China. Being the first bridge with a main span exceeding 1 km in Chinese mainland, it had been instrumented with a structural health monitoring (SHM) system when completed in 1999. After operation for several years, it was found with malfunction in sensors and data acquisition units, and insufficient sensors to provide necessary information for structural health evaluation. This study reports the SHM system upgrade project on the Jiangyin Bridge. Although implementations of SHM system have been reported worldwide, few studies are available on the upgrade of SHM system so far. Recognizing this, the upgrade of original SHM system for the bridge is first discussed in detail. Especially, lessons learned from the original SHM system are applied to the design of upgraded SHM system right away. Then, performance assessment of the bridge, including: (i) characterization of temperature profiles and effects; (ii) recognition of wind characteristics and effects; and (iii) identification of modal properties, is carried out by making use of the long-term monitoring data obtained from the upgraded SHM system. Emphasis is placed on the verification of design assumptions and prediction of bridge behavior or extreme responses. The results may provide the baseline for structural health evaluation.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.397-413
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• 2009

Composite bridges offer many advantages compared to current steel and aluminum bridges. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive on-going research program to develop innovative Diagnostic Prognostic System (DPS) and a structural evaluation of Composite Army Bridge (CAB) system. The DPS is founded on three technologies: optical fiber sensing, remote data transmission, and virtual testing. In developing this system, both laboratory and virtual test were used in different damage scenarios. Health monitoring with DPS entailed comparing live strain data to archived strained data in various bridge locations. For field repairs, a family of composite chords was subjected to simple ramp loads in search of ultimate strength. As such, composite bridge specimens showcased their strengths, heralded the viability of virtual testing, highlighted the efficacy of field repair, and confirmed the merits of health monitoring.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2020

The hinge joint is the key to the overall cooperative working performance of the assembled beam bridge, and it is also the weakest part during the service period. This paper proposes a method for monitoring and evaluating the lateral cooperative working performance of fabricated beam bridges based on dynamic strain correlation coefficient indicator. This method is suitable for monitoring and evaluation of hinge joints status between prefabricated girders and overall cooperative working performance of bridge, without interruption of traffic and easy implementation. The remote cloud monitoring and diagnosis system was designed and implemented on a real assembled beam bridge. The algorithms of data preprocessing, online indicator extraction and status diagnosis were given, and the corresponding software platform and scientific computing environment for cloud operation were developed. Through the analysis of real bridge monitoring data, the effectiveness and accuracy of the method are proved and it can be used in the health monitoring system of such bridges.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.197-205
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• 2017

The dynamic performance of railway bridges under high-speed trains draws the attention of bridge engineers. The vibration issue for long-span bridges under high-speed trains is still not well understood due to lack of validations through structural health monitoring (SHM) data. This paper investigates the correlation between bridge acceleration and train speed based on structural dynamics theory and SHM system from three foci. Firstly, the calculated formula of acceleration response under a series of moving load is deduced for the situation that train length is near the length of the bridge span, the correlation between train speed and acceleration amplitude is analyzed. Secondly, the correlation scatterplots of the speed-acceleration is presented and discussed based on the transverse and vertical acceleration response data of Dashengguan Yangtze River Bridge SHM system. Thirdly, the warning indexes of the bridge performance for correlation scatterplots of speed-acceleration are established. The main conclusions are: (1) The resonance between trains and the bridge is unlikely to happen for long-span bridge, but a multimodal correlation curve between train speed and acceleration amplitude exists after the resonance speed; (2) Based on SHM data, multimodal correlation scatterplots of speed-acceleration exist and they have similar trends with the calculated formula; (3) An envelope line of polylines can be used as early warning indicators of the changes of bridge performance due to the changes of slope of envelope line and peak speed of amplitude. This work also gives several suggestions which lay a foundation for the better design, maintenance and long-term monitoring of a long-span high-speed bridge.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.125-145
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• 2019

Bridge scour is one of the predominant causes of bridge failure. Current climate deterioration leads to increase of flooding frequency and severity and thus poses a higher risk of bridge scour failure than before. Recent studies have explored extensively the vibration-based scour monitoring technique by analyzing the structural modal properties before and after damage. However, the state-of-art of this area lacks a systematic approach with sufficient robustness and credibility for practical decision making. This paper attempts to develop a data-driven methodology for bridge scour monitoring using support vector machines. This study extracts features from the bridge dynamic responses based on a generic sensitivity study on the bridge's modal properties and selects the features that are significantly contributive to bridge scour detection. Results indicate that the proposed data-driven method can quantify the bridge scour damage with satisfactory accuracy for most cases. This paper provides an alternative methodology for bridge scour evaluation using the machine learning method. It has the potential to be practically applied for bridge safety assessment in case that scour happens.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.469-488
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• 2015

Thermal loads, especially thermal gradients, have a considerable effect on the behaviors of large-scale bridges throughout their lifecycles. Bridge design specifications provide minimal guidance regarding thermal gradients for simple bridge girders and do not consider transversal thermal gradients in wide girder cross-sections. This paper investigates the three-dimensional thermal gradients of arch bridge girders by integrating long-term field monitoring data recorded by a structural health monitoring system, with emphasis on the vertical and transversal thermal gradients of wide concrete-steel composite girders. Based on field monitoring data for one year, the time-dependent characteristics of temperature and three-dimensional thermal gradients in girder cross-sections are explored. A statistical analysis of thermal gradients is conducted, and the probability density functions of transversal and vertical thermal gradients are estimated. The extreme thermal gradients are predicted with a specific return period by employing an extreme value analysis, and the profiles of the vertical thermal gradient are established for bridge design. The transversal and vertical thermal gradients are developed to help engineers understand the thermal behaviors of concrete-steel composite girders during their service periods.