Deflection and frequency monitoring of the Forth Road Bridge, Scotland, by GPS

Permission is granted by ICE Publishing to print one copy for personal use. Any other use of these PDF files is subject to reprint fees. Copyright © 2012 Thomas Telford Ltd.The use of carrier phase kinematic GPS (global positioning system) has evolved into a reliable technique to measure both the three-dimensional magnitudes and frequencies of movements of structures. Techniques have been developed that tackle errors caused by multipath, tropospheric delay and issues relating to satellite geometry. GPS-derived movements compare well with data from both design predictions and structural models. Results from field trials carried out on the Forth Road Bridge are presented. This paper brings together key results that outline the procedure as well as a series of new data that indicate other potential applications. GPS data were collected continuously over a period of 46 h at a minimum rate of 10 Hz. During the trials wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity and temperature were also recorded. Frequently there was very heavy traffic flow, and at one point a special load (a 100-t lorry) passed over simultaneously to the heavy daytime flow of traffic. Data from a planned load trial during a brief bridge closure are reported and compared with the limited results available from a finite element model. Measured vibration frequencies are also computed from GPS data and compared with those given in the literature. In addition, results indicating the change in structural characteristics are also presented – in particular changes of mass associated with changes in traffic loading are observed. The results show the performance of GPS as it has developed in recent years, and that it can now reliably be used as a significant part of structural health monitoring schemes, giving both the magnitude of quasi-static deflections in known time periods and hence the frequency of dynamic movements of structures.Forth Estuary Transport Authorit

Monitored structural behavior of a long span cable-stayed bridge under environmental effects

An accurate numerical analysis of the behavior of long-span cable-stayed bridges under environmental effects is a challenge because of complex, uncertain and varying environmental meteorology. This study aims to investigate in-situ experimental structural behavior of long-span steel cable-stayed bridges under environmental effects such as air temperature and wind using the monitoring data. Nissibi cable-stayed bridge with total length of 610m constructed in the city of Adıyaman, Turkey, in 2015 is chosen for this purpose. Structural behaviors of the main structural elements including deck, towers (pylons) and cables of the selected long span cable-stayed bridge under environmental effects such as air temperature and wind are investigated by using daily monitoring data. The daily variations of cable forces, cable accelerations, pylon accelerations and deck accelerations with air temperature and wind speed are compared using the hottest summer (July 31, 2015) and the coldest winter (January 1, 2016) days data

Operational deformations in long-span bridges

Journal ArticleLong-span bridges deform quasi-statically and dynamically under a range of operational conditions including wind, traffic and thermal loads, in varying patterns, at different timescales and with different amplitudes. While external loads and internal forces can only rarely be measured, there are well-developed technologies for measuring deformations and their time and space derivatives. Performance data can be checked against design limits and used for validating conceptual and numerical models which can in turn be used to estimate the external loads and internal forces. Changes in performance patterns and load–response relationships can also be used directly as a diagnostic tool, but excessive deformations themselves are also a concern in terms of serviceability. This paper describes application of a range of measurement technologies, focusing on response to extreme loads, for suspension bridges over the River Tamar (with 335 m main span) and Humber (with 1410 m man span). The effects of vehicular, thermal and wind loads on these very different structures are compared, showing that apart from rare extreme traffic and wind loads, temporal and spatial temperature variations dominate quasi-static response. Observations of deformation data and sensor performance for the two bridges are used to highlight limitations and redundancies in the instrumentation

Correlated GNSS and temperature measurements at 10-minute intervals on the Severn Suspension Bridge

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data were gathered on the 998-m-long Severn Suspension Bridge main span. The antennas were located on the tops of the four support towers, as well as five locations on the suspension cables; data were gathered at rates of 10 and 20 Hz. In addition, air and steel temperatures were gathered every 10 min. The GNSS data were processed in an On The Fly manner relative to a reference receiver located on a fixed position adjacent to the Bridge, and the resulting dataset was compared to the air and steel temperature data measurements, and correlations reported. Moving average filters that eliminate short-term movements due to wind loading and traffic loading were applied to the GNSS data, resulting in the longer-term deflections due to temperature changes every 10 min. The temperature over the 3 days varied by up to 10 °C, and movements of the order of decimetres were seen. Clear numerical correlations between the changes in temperature and the changes in height are presented when analysed at these 10-min intervals, suggesting that temperature compensation in structural health monitoring systems could be readily applied, resulting in a sustainable structure

Using satellites to monitor Severn Bridge structure, UK

The Severn Bridge is a large UK suspension bridge. In 2010, a series of field surveys was commissioned to monitor the magnitude and frequencies of the bridge’s movements, through attaching nine dual-frequency survey grade global navigation satellite system receivers on the bridge and two reference satellite receivers adjacent to the structure. The satellite antenna locations and configuration allow the movements of the north cable to be analysed at four locations, as well as the differential movements of the two suspension cables to each other. In addition, this configuration allows the movements of the tops of the towers to be compared to the cables’ movements, as well as with each other. All in all, this allowed the relative movements of the various locations on the bridge’s suspension cables and tower tops to be compared to each other, at a rate of up to 20 Hz. Overall, some 3 days of raw code and carrier phase satellite data were gathered. During these sessions, normal traffic loading was experienced. This paper describes the survey, presents a selection of the key results and draws conclusions about the effective use of satellite positioning systems to enhance structural health monitoring.The Highways Agency, Severn River Crossing plc and Mott MacDonal