Campaign Monitoring of Railroad Bridges Using Wireless Smart Sensors

Abstract

This paper presents research results using wireless smart sensors to develop a cost-effective, practical, and portable structural health monitoring system for railroad bridges in North America. The system is designed to enable campaign-style monitoring of railroad bridges under in-service train loads. Validation is carried out on a 94.6 m long steel truss bridge near Chicago, the busiest railroad hub in North America. A finite element (FE) model of the bridge is developed and calibrated using the measured data. Subsequently, the model is used to predict bridge responses at unmeasured locations for varied train loads and speeds. The results from this research provide a technological foundation to develop campaign monitoring as an important tool with which to manage railroad bridge assets.