How Do We Maintain More Resilient Infrastructure with Structural Monitoring?

Australia, like many countries, is grappling with the challenge of ageing infrastructure. Among the myriad concerns, bridges stand out as critical structures requiring vigilant upkeep.

More than 70% of Australian bridges are beyond 50 years of age, a vast majority of them have now come to the end of their intended design life. Australia’s iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge is now nearing its centenary mark. These ageing bridges were not designed for the contemporary demands of heavier traffic, larger freight vehicles, and stricter design standards. Consequently, when assessed against modern criteria, a significant portion of these bridges may fail to meet compliance standards. Retrofitting them to meet current standards or replacing them would entail substantial societal costs and, in some cases, may be impractical due to historical design constraints.

Assessment of these older structures is often based on simplified tools designed for new structures, leading to conservative evaluations. Consequently, many bridges reported as having capacity deficiencies may not exhibit any noticeable signs of distress, highlighting the need for a more nuanced approach. The AS ISO 13822 introduces a plausible framework for assessing and managing these aging assets, shedding light on their capacity and safety. These techniques rely on measuring the bridge’s performance through data acquisition and monitoring systems.

As a society, we are increasingly transitioning towards a future where achieving net zero emissions is paramount. From a sustainability standpoint, it becomes crucial to optimise the utilisation of current infrastructure to minimise future embodied carbon. Balancing the imperative to “sweat” the assets with the necessity of averting catastrophic failures calls for a paradigm shift in bridge asset management.

The Solution?

The advancement of IoT and AI technologies has enabled digitalisation of physical elements. With Rockfield's solutions, engineers and asset managers can now monitor structural parameters in real-time and are empowered to make data-driven asset management decisions through insightful interpretation of measurement data.

Rockfield's cloud-based Mercuto Platform continues to provide a comprehensive full-stack solution, encompassing system integration, data acquisition systems, communication infrastructure, and extending all the way to cloud analytics, AI, data visualisation, insights generation, and alerting functionalities. This integrated platform empowers businesses to streamline their operations, harness data-driven insights, and enhance decision-making processes with advanced analytics and AI capabilities for effective structural health monitoring.

On a bridge where operational loadings are of great concern, strain gauges, weigh-in-motion sensors, and video cameras are synchronised to capture detailed information during operational events that exceed predefined thresholds. This integrated approach allows for precise analysis of strain variations, vehicle details, and load distribution, as shown in Figure 3.

Collecting data for a period of time enables vehicle classification and helps asset owners appreciate the traffic loadings subjected to the specific bridge so that a data-driven and risk informed asset management plan can be developed specific to the asset.

In addition to real-time monitoring, in-depth analysis of critical structural elements is facilitated. By deploying strain gauges on key components such as splice bearings, behaviours during overloading events can be accurately assessed. These overload events can also be extended to natural disaster impact classification through additional wind, scour, temperature and flood sensors.

Furthermore, such data collection enables fatigue analysis, quantifying the frequency and extent of overloads over time, and providing an estimate of the remaining useful life of the asset under its current loading conditions.

At Rockfield, we understand structures. Our solutions are tailored to the unique needs of each infrastructure project. We believe that advanced monitoring technologies and data-driven decision-making are pivotal in maintaining resilient infrastructure. By continuously pushing the boundaries of IoT and structural health monitoring, we strive to contribute to a safer, more sustainable future. Rockfield is proud to be at the forefront of this transformative journey.

Contact us to learn more about how our monitoring solutions can safeguard your infrastructure.