Dynamic Assessment of Timber Railroad Bridges Using Displacements

Direct reference-free measurement of displacements for railroad bridge management

“…The authors validated the accuracy of PSEMI to measure harmonic motions. The amplitudes and frequencies were designed to be 10 mm/1 Hz and 10 mm/4 Hz based on the representative displacement amplitude and frequency of railroad bridges under traffic conditions . Figure displays the displacement response comparisons of the two different harmonic signals and the error between them.…”

“…In 1987, a course interview from a group of 53 railroad structural engineers and leaders, consulting engineers, and company and university researchers from the United States, Canada, and Mexico indicated that the measurements of structural responses of bridges under traffic are of critical value for railroad managers. Twenty‐five years later, in 2012, a new research study specifically pointed out that the transverse displacements of railroad timber bridges can be used by railroad bridge managers to prioritize inspection, maintenance, and replacement decisions . Measuring displacements of railroad bridges under train load can objectively quantify the reliability of railroad operations throughout the network …”

“…Twenty‐five years later, in 2012, a new research study specifically pointed out that the transverse displacements of railroad timber bridges can be used by railroad bridge managers to prioritize inspection, maintenance, and replacement decisions . Measuring displacements of railroad bridges under train load can objectively quantify the reliability of railroad operations throughout the network …”

“…Researchers employed a PS, electromagnetic induction (PSEMI) sensor and integrated circuit technologies to obtain high‐fidelity low‐frequency direct reference‐free displacements. The results of this research show that the new sensing system has good low‐frequency performance for displacement measurement of railroad timber bridges that, in general, have low‐frequency vibrations based on the frequency analysis of transverse response under train‐crossing events . The authors assessed the performance of the PSEMI sensing system with experimental dynamic tests in the laboratory.…”

Technical Specifications of Structural Health Monitoring for Highway Bridges: New Chinese Structural Health Monitoring Code

“…Because budgets for replacing railroads, bridges, and other structures are limited, the installation of sensors can assist in prioritizing those bridges that need to be repaired first (Moreu et al, 2014(Moreu et al, , 2015. In fact, advances in sensors and monitoring technologies make a strong argument for the fact that they should be included as part of future civil engineering structures, rather than just being added to existing infrastructure.…”