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Technical University of Munich

Reliability-based continuous monitoring of freeway bridges

Collaboration partners: HSU, University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg

Project Description:

Due to increasing traffic loads and aging infrastructure, the condition monitoring of highway bridges is of particular importance. Many bridges, built after the war, are gradually approaching the end of their service life. To avoid the simultaneous replacement of large infrastructure components and to ensure the long-term preservation of iconic structures, new monitoring procedures are constantly being developed to ensure the stability, traffic safety, and durability of existing bridges beyond their planned service life.

Traditionally, bridge inspections are carried out every three or six years by qualified personnel using non-destructive testing methods. Increasingly, permanently installed sensors and automated diagnostic procedures are being employed for long-term monitoring, registering both long-term damage, such as bearing settlement, and isolated damage events caused by overloading, storms, and flooding in real time.

The continuous monitoring of bridges poses many unresolved challenges. Each bridge is unique, and ongoing operation must not be impaired. Many diagnostic procedures from mechanical engineering or aerospace industries require data sets of the damaged condition for pattern recognition, but such data is typically not available. Consequently, there are no standardized procedures for performance evaluation, and quality assurance remains limited.

The aim of the research project is to contribute to the following research questions:

  • Added value: What economic benefits are created by the instrumentation of buildings?
  • Performance evaluation: Which types of damage can be diagnosed, and which cannot?
  • Sensor placement: Where should sensors be placed to optimize the performance of the monitoring system?
  • Environmental influences: How do temperature and other environmental factors affect the measurement results?
  • Quality assurance: How can the diagnostic procedures be validated non-destructively?

Duration: 2021 – 2024

Funding: Zentrum für Digitalisierungs- und Technologieforschung der Bundeswehr (DTEC.bw)

Responsible Participants: Dr. Alexander Mendler

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