Representation of In-Service Performance for Cable-Stayed Railway–Highway Combined Bridges Based on Train-Induced Response’s Sensing Data and Knowledge

Abstract

Real-time representation of the current performance of structures is an important task for perceiving potential danger in in-service bridges. Methods driven by the multisource sensing data of structural health monitoring systems are an effective way to achieve this goal. Due to the explicit zero-point of signals, the live load-induced response has an inherent advantage for quantitatively representing the performance of bridges. Taking a long-span cable-stayed railway–highway combined bridge as the case study, this paper presents a representation method of in-service performance. First, the non-stationary sections of train-induced response are automatically extracted by wavelet transform and window with threshold. Then, the data of the feature parameter of each non-stationary section are automatically divided into four cases of train load according to the calculational theory of bridge vibration under train effect and clustering analysis. Finally, the performance indexes for structural deformation and dynamics are determined separately, based on hierarchical clustering and statistical modeling. Fusing the real variability of massive data from monitoring and the knowledge of mechanics of theoretical calculations, accurate and robust indexes of bridge deflection distribution and forced vibration frequency are obtained in real time. The whole process verifies the feasibility of the representation of bridge in-service performance from massive multisource sensing data. The presented method, framework, and analysis results can be used as a reference for the design, operation, and maintenance works of long-span railway bridges.