Fiber Optic Methods in Condition Assessment of Bridges

Bridges are the encompassing framework of daily life and are considered significant investments that must be maintained for safe and efficient operations.  In addition to visual inspections, several nondestructive test (NDT) methods are available for assessing the condition of individual elements of bridges. In many instances, the bridges must be instrumented to assess issues or assure safe operations, especially in the case of larger spans and complex designs. In larger bridges, it is customary and economically viable to use global approaches, i.e., by modal analysis, with few accelerometers to establish the structural system's general state of health.  In other circumstances, public safety and the nature of the structural problems dictate quantitative assessment by instrumenting the bridge with several types of sensors.  Because many kinds of sensors, systems, and analysis techniques are available, the question remains as to which technique yields the right results most economically.    This presentation explains how fiber optic sensors were employed to solve bridge issues.  The important point to consider in designing a health monitoring system is that basic engineering principles provide the backing for assessing the structure's state, not the multiplicity of sensors.

1 hour CE credit

Learning Objectives

1)    We monitor bridges to ensure safety, reduce life-cycle maintenance costs, and learn of in-service structural and materials behavior.
2)    Structural monitoring shall begin with a well-defined objective for solving specific problems.
3)    The critical point to consider in designing a structural health monitoring system is that basic engineering principles provide the backing for assessing the structure's state, not the multiplicity of sensors.

Registration

Members - $25
Nonmembers - $40

This is a virtual event on Zoom. Attendees are required to have a free Zoom account to participate.

About the Speaker

Farhad Ansari
Farhad Ansari is a distinguished professor, and Christopher B. and Susan S. Burke chair in the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC).  Farhad Ansari received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD degrees from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, University of Colorado, and the University of Illinois, Chicago, respectively.  Professor Ansari’s main area of research is in structural health monitoring.  He has consulted, designed, and installed structural monitoring systems for bridges worldwide, including New York’s Brooklyn Bridge, Lingoto Bridge in Turin, Italy, New York’s Manhattan Bridge, and several cable-stayed bridges in China. Professor Ansari’s team has also installed Bridge Weigh-in-Motion (BWIM), scour monitoring, and dynamic displacement sensors for several bridges across the U.S., including California, New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, and Georgia. Much of Professor Ansari’s work involves forensic investigations of bridges and other structures.  His recent forensic work in Italy pertained to the post-collapse analysis of Morandi’s Polcevera viaduct in Genoa, Italy in 2018. Farhad Ansari is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Civil Structural Health Monitoring (Springer) and past president of the Society for Civil Structural Health Monitoring (formerly ISHMII).