Design and Experimental Investigations of a Vibration Based Wireless Measurement System for Bridge Cable Tension Monitoring

Abstract

Cables are important components of a cable-stayed bridge, and the cable tension is a crucial factor in determining the overall condition assessment of a cable-stayed bridge structure. Based on the vibration frequency method, a wireless monitoring system for bridge cable tension force monitoring has been investigated and experimentally validated through laboratory and field tests in this paper. The vibration frequency-based method for cable tension measurement, the design method of the wireless measurement system with embedded identification algorithm, the test procedures, and relevant results are discussed, respectively. The developed wireless monitoring system is verified by a bridge model test in the laboratory and full-scale bridge tests in the field. Field experimental results show that the relative error between this wireless monitoring system and the reference wired system values is within 0.5%. Therefore, the developed wireless measurement system can provide an estimation of cable tension with sufficient accuracy. Moreover, the developed system is highly integrated and convenient in terms of installation and dismantling, and it has potential applicability prospects in emergency for the quick detection of cable tension.