Techniques for Processing Experimental Data for Structural Health Monitoring of Bridges

Abstract

Reliability of transport artificial structures and transit of trains at sanctioned speed should be provided with the necessary and sufficient load-bearing capacity, strength, rigidity, and stability of engineering structures.The objective of this work was to substantiate the possibility of using well-known methods for controlling the stress-strain state of structures using automated systems of structural health monitoring of bridge spans.It is extremely important regarding operation of transport artificial structures designed according to the standards of the first half of the 20th century.Under these conditions, the experimental determination of the stress-strain state of bearing structures of bridges becomes the most important component of the task of a comprehensive assessment of physical wear and tear as well as of operational reliability of the structures. Monitoring the structural health and technical condition of bridges and planning of timely measures aimed at the repair, strengthening or reconstruction of spans will extend their service life and ensure safety during operation.Maximum permissible deflections of spans under a movable temporary vertical load have been revealed since to ensure smooth movement of vehicles it is necessary to control horizontal longitudinal and transverse displacements of the top of the bridge piers, as well as vertical settlements.The paper suggests methods of interpreting data measured by inclinometers and electric strain gauges, tensiometers to use them in an automated system for monitoring the structural health of railway bridges. The method of strain measurement is described in detail in the proposed options for installing resistance strain gauges on structures to measure tensile-compression stresses and longitudinal forces due to a temporary vertical load.Monitoring the technical condition of bridge structures, using the methods for measuring deflections and deformations proposed by the authors in this article, will make it possible to assess the change in bearing capacity of the structure over the entire period of operation. The study used regulations and experience of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan.