Resensys’ research featured in ISHMII (International Society of Structural Health Monitoring of Intelligent Infrastructure) Newsletter, The Monitor.

Structural Health Monitoring could have provided alarm in bridge failure

Resensys was in good company in the Summer 2020 issue of the ISHMII Newsletter, The Monitor, as the collapse of the bridge on the Magra River at Albiano, Italy (article by Paolo Clemente) provided a stark visual reminder of the importance of infrastructure inspection, maintenance and damage detection, as well as of the potentially devastating impact of catastrophic failure.  This is especially true for aging infrastructure when the design and constraints at the time of construction are unknown or not well-defined.

As stated by Paolo Clemente in his article, it was mentioned that appropriate structural health monitoring system (SHMS) of the bridge provides an alarm as soon as possible to avoid any failure of the bridge structure. The bridge owners or authorities try to control bridge structures such as the Albiano Magra Bridge.

Sensor data helps increase accuracy of finite element modeling predictions

Also featured in this issue of the Monitor, was the article, “A Novel Strategy To Design Measurement Systems For Bridge Load Testing”, by Numa J. Bertola and  Ian F.C. Smith, who mentioned that the data are collected by sensors and structural health monitoring system can increase the precision of the finite element models by decreasing the uncertainties on model parameters. The correctness in the behavior prediction of finite element models can be increased significantly in this way.

The statements of the two authors above bring sharply into focus two key priorities of bridge authorities:  asset management and safety, and load rating/ testing protocols and measures.  It is against this backdrop that Resensys was featured in the Research Article, “NSF Funding yields wireless game changer for long term bridge monitoring”.  In addition to providing real time, accurate data and monitoring to support and drive decision-making for asset management and load rating activities, the NSF-funded research advances to Resensys’ systems can also be applied to a third priority of bridge authorities:  super-load monitoring.   For technical details, read more here. 

Resensys products commercially advantageous for super-load and long term structural health monitoring

The benefits of Resensys’ system were clearly articulated by Dr. Colin Caprani of Monash University regarding a recent project that uses Resensys’ technology in Australia: Resensys wireless SenSpot™ sensors were able to collect strain data at great sampling rate. Thus, these sensors could measure strain accurately on different members of the bridge structure when the live loads or super-loads were transported. Simultaneously, Resensys instruments could be remained on the structure for long-term monitoring after load tests to detect and monitor any kind of possible or growing damage/issue on the bridge structure. So, Resensys sensors are suitable for both short and long term monitoring. Resensys’ ultra-low power design means that the sensors have a 10-yr battery life. After installation, SenSpot™ does not need battery replacement or any other maintenance during its whole service life and this is a significant commercial benefit.

For more information on some core SenSpot product applications, review our Application Note repository, click here.