This paper presents an overview of the structural performance monitoring system for a butterfly-shaped arch footbridge located at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The system is the product of a multidisciplinary academic collaboration of the pooling expertise of four academic departments, namely, structural engineering, traffic engineering, surveying, and optical communication engineering. This system consists of 88 sensors of 13 types, including an advanced Brillouin optical time-domain analysis technology, an optical fiber Bragg grating technology, a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and high-performance video cameras. The paper summarizes the modular design, subsystem framework, and advanced features of the monitoring system. Preliminary monitoring results, such as high spatial resolution distributed temperature/strain measurement, global heat-transfer analysis, pedestrian traffic analysis, dynamic characteristics, and GNSS measurements, are introduced. A fire accident is employed to demonstrate the function and value of the monitoring system and provided a rare opportunity to detect damages in a real structure. The monitoring system not only monitors the performance of the bridge in real-time but also provides a multifunctional platform, including an Internet-based software for research and teaching and a touchscreen visualization platform for public education.
K E Y W O R D Sfiber optic sensing, footbridge, GNSS, multifunctional platform, pedestrian traffic analysis, structural health monitoring
| INTRODUCTIONLarge-scale civil engineering and infrastructure projects, such as buildings, bridges, dams, wind turbines, and pipeline systems, are exposed to extreme natural or human-made hazards, such as typhoons, strong earthquakes, and ship/ vehicle collisions. Structural health monitoring (SHM) technologies [1][2][3][4] have been developed to measure various loads and responses, evaluate the structural condition, and ensure the safety and serviceability of the structures during their service lifetime. 5,6 Long-term SHM systems have been successfully applied to full-scale bridges, including cable-stayed bridges, 7-9 suspension bridges, 10,11 truss bridges, 12,13 and arch bridges. 14,15 For example, a wind and structural monitoring system with