M.S.

Civil Engineering Program Exit Paper:

A critical review:
“Structural health monitoring of a cable-stayed bridge using smart sensor
technology”

Alexandra Marple
Syracuse University, Fall 2016
1 Summary

As much of the United States civil infrastructure nears the end of its service life, the
potential impacts of the structural deficiencies and functional obsolescence of
transportation structures in general could create a serious problem for commuters and
transportation agencies throughout the country. In New York State alone, one quarter of
bridges has been deemed functionally obsolete while one eighth has been classified as
structurally deficient. With this large group of bridges requiring rehabilitation or
replacement, it has become necessary to develop various methods of monitoring the
health of civil infrastructure in order to extend its service life. These methods for
collecting data have come to be known as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM).
One of the most useful methods of Structural Health monitoring is the use of wireless
smart sensor networks (WSSNs). These networks of smart sensors are low-cost, easy to
install, and are capable of effectively managing large amounts of data through on-board
computation.

Through an international collaboration between the USA (University of Illinois at

Urbana-Champaign), Korea (KAIST), and Japan (University of Tokyo), a state-of-the-art
wireless smart sensor network was installed on the new Jindo Bridge in South Korea.
Documentation by the collaborators of the deployment and evaluation of this sensor
network, as well as the data analyses, entitled “Structural health monitoring of a cable-
stayed bridge using smart sensor technology: deployment and evaluation” and “Structural
health monitoring of a cable-stayed bridge using wireless smart sensor technology: data
analyses” was published in Smart Structures and Systems in 2010.

As of 2010, the Structural Health Monitoring system installed on the Jindo Bridge was
the largest deployment of wireless smart sensors for civil infrastructure monitoring to
date, and has served as an example of the promising future of wireless smart sensors for
monitoring of large scale civil infrastructure.

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2 Key Words

Structural Health Monitoring (SHM)

Wireless Smart Sensor Network (WSSN)
Cable-stayed bridge
Deployment
Evaluation
Model Identification
Cable tension estimation
Fourier Domain Decomposition method (FDD)
Stochastic Subspace Identification method (SSI)
Finite Element analysis (FE)

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List of Contents
1 Summary.................................................................................................................. 2
2 Key Words ............................................................................................................... 3
3 Introduction to Structural Health Monitoring ............................................................ 5
3.1 Wireless Smart Sensor Networks....................................................................... 5
4 Deployment and Evaluation – Jindo Bridge .............................................................. 6
4.1 Bridge Description ............................................................................................ 6
4.2 Bridge Monitoring System ................................................................................ 7
4.2.1 Hardware ................................................................................................... 8
4.3 Deployment of the SHM system ........................................................................ 9
4.3.1 Network topology ...................................................................................... 9
4.3.2 Base station .............................................................................................. 10
4.3.3 Smart sensor nodes................................................................................... 10
4.4 Evaluation of the SHM system ........................................................................ 11
4.4.1 Hardware performance ............................................................................. 11
4.4.2 Software performance .............................................................................. 12
5 Data Analyses – Jindo Bridge ................................................................................. 13
5.1 Finite element model of Jindo Bridge .............................................................. 13
5.1.1 Construction of finite element model ........................................................ 13
5.1.2 Validation of the finite element model ...................................................... 13
5.2 Measured acceleration data.............................................................................. 15
5.3 Output-only modal identification ..................................................................... 16
5.3.1 Results of modal analysis ......................................................................... 16
5.4 Estimation of cable tension forces ................................................................... 18
5.4.1 Description of cable properties ................................................................. 18
5.4.2 Vibration method for cable tension estimation .......................................... 19
5.4.3 Interaction between deck and cables ......................................................... 21
5.4.4 Estimated cable tension forces .................................................................. 21
6 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 23
7 References.............................................................................................................. 24

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3 Introduction to Structural Health Monitoring

Before the implementation of advanced Structural Health Monitoring techniques,

conventional methods which were very extensive and complex in nature had to be used.
These conventional non-destructive evaluation methods could be very tedious, expensive,
or unreliable. Because of this, it was advantageous to develop a more automated and
reliable method of gathering real-time health data of structures.

Through the use of Structural Health Monitoring systems and components, it is possible
to gather large amounts of data concerning the structure’s performance and response,
which can then be used to:

 Detect damage or deterioration

 Provide general structural evaluations
 Improve qualitative assessments
 Improve future designs
 Determine necessary modifications
 Install an alert system for future events.

Overall, the use of Structural Health Monitoring methods has revolutionized the industry,
and has provided a legitimate means of maximizing the service life of the world’s civil
infrastructure.

3.1 Wireless Smart Sensor Networks

Although numerous Structural Health Monitoring methodologies and systems have been
proposed, the cost of implementing a wired system on full-scale bridge structures is
significant. For example, 84 accelerometer channels were deployed on the Bill Emerson
Memorial Bridge with a cost of $15,000 per channel, including installation.
However, the development of wireless smart sensors has provided a solution for long-
term, scalable Structural Health Monitoring of civil infrastructure by providing easier
installation and efficient data management at a considerably lower cost than wired
monitoring systems. In comparison to the high cost of the Bill Emerson Memorial
Bridge SHM system, the channels for the wireless smart sensor network implemented in
the new Jindo Bridge cost $500 apiece, including the solar power harvesting devices.
Not only are wireless networks less expensive, but their installation is considerably
quicker and easier than a wired network, and their on-board computation capability is
ideally suited to a large network, as is necessary for long-span bridges.
Previously implemented wireless smart sensors used to monitor various bridge structures
have provided important information for the application of wireless smart sensor
networks in long-term monitoring. Some of the critical issues that have been defined
include:

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  Power management
 Energy harvesting
 Fault tolerance
 Autonomous operation
 Environmental hardening.

The collaborative research team that developed the state-of-the-art wireless smart sensor
network on the new Jindo Bridge sought to address these challenges, and provide
solutions to advance the use of WSSNs for long-term bridge monitoring [1].

4 Deployment and Evaluation – Jindo Bridge

Although the Structural Health Monitoring components were extensively tested, and
verified through a series of laboratory experiments, the deployment of this wireless smart
sensor network was quite challenging. Overall, 70 sensor nodes and 2 base stations were
installed to monitor the bridge through an autonomous Structural Health Monitoring
application involving an excessive wind and vibration triggering system to initiate
monitoring. Ultimately, the performance of the system was evaluated in terms of
hardware durability, software stability, power consumption and energy harvesting options
[1].

4.1 Bridge Description

The Jindo Bridges are twin cable-stayed bridges spanning between Haenam on the
mainland of South Korea, and Jindo Island. Each of the bridges has three spans: a 344
meter central span, and two 70 meter side spans. Constructed in 1984 by Hyundai
Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd., the original Jindo Bridge was the premiere cable-
stayed bridge in South Korea. The construction of the new Jindo Bridge was followed in
2006 [1]. Figure [1] below shows the twin bridges, while Figure [2] shows the structural
drawing of the new Jindo Bridge.

Figure [1]: The Twin Jindo Bridges: Old (right), and New (left) [1].

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 Figure [2]: Structural Drawings of new Jindo Bridge [1].

Each of the bridges was equipped with an existing, wired Structural Health Monitoring
system. Table [1] given below shows the existing equipment for each bridge.

Table [1]: Existing SHM equipment on twin Jindo Bridges [1].

Old Jindo Bridge New Jindo Bridge
38 strain gages 15 thermometers
4 inclinometers 15 strain gauges
2 anemometers 4 biaxial inclinometers
2 seismic accelerometers 2 string pots
5 uniaxial capacitive accelerometers 2 laser displacement meters
15 uniaxial piezoelectric accelerometers 24 Fiber Bragg Grating sensors
20 uniaxial seismic accelerometers
2 biaxial force balance-type accelerometers
3 triaxial seismic accelerometers

4.2 Bridge Monitoring System

Since the new Jindo Bridge has a more versatile existing Structural Health Monitoring
system, and a more complete set of design and construction documents, it was decided
that the experiments with the wireless smart sensor network would take place on the New
Jindo Bridge.

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4.2.1 Hardware
Two separate hardware configurations were used in this research on the new Jindo
Bridge. To supplement the battery-operated leaf nodes placed at locations away from the
base station, a gateway node was attached to the base station PC itself. In order to take
advantage of the wind excitation as a source of bridge vibration, two separate types of
sensor boards were used:

 SHM-A sensor board to measure vibrations

 SHM-W sensor board to measure signals from anemometer.

In addition, solar panels and rechargeable batteries were installed on certain nodes in
order to determine the possibility of long-term deployment of these sensors [1].

4.2.1.1 Smart Sensor Nodes

Each of the smart sensor units contains an Imote2 high performance wireless smart
sensor platform, an IBB2400CA battery board designed specifically to power the Imote2
using three 1.5-volt batteries, and the SHM-A multi-scale sensor board.

The Illinois Structural Health Monitoring project specifically designed the SHM-A sensor
board for monitoring civil infrastructure. In addition to its tri-axial accelerometer, the
SHM-A board contains temperature, humidity, and light sensors and has the potential to
measure data from anemometers and strain gauges. The setup of both the Gateway node
and the remote node are shown below in Figure [3].

Figure [3]: Wireless smart sensor node units [1].

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4.2.1.2 Wind Monitoring System: modified SHM-A board with anemometer
Since Jindo Island is one of the windiest regions of South Korea and experiences several
typhoons each year, one of the important goals of this study was to monitor the dynamic
responses of the bridge to wind. To accomplish this, a 3-D ultra-sonic anemometer was
included in the wireless smart sensor network in order to monitor both the wind and the
dynamic responses of the bridge [1].

4.2.1.3 Energy harvesting with solar panels

With long-term deployment being the ultimate goal of this project, it was necessary to
evaluate methods of providing energy to these sensors that eliminated the need for
regular battery replacements. Based on a study by Roundy et al. (2004), it was decided
that, since the power density of solar cells is the largest and has the potential to extend the
network lifetime to over one year, solar panels and rechargeable batteries would be used
as the energy system for this wireless network [1]. Table [2] shown below depicts the
Power densities of various harvesting technologies.

Table [2]: Power densities of harvesting technologies (Roundy et al. 2004) [1].
Harvesting technology Power density
Solar cells (outdoors at noon) 15 mW/cm2
Piezoelectric (shoe inserts) 330 μW/cm3
Vibration (small microwave oven) 116 μW/cm3
Thermoelectric (10° C gradient) 40 μW/cm3
Acoustic noise (100 dB) 960 nW/cm3

4.3 Deployment of the SHM system

In order to successfully deploy the first large-scale, autonomous, wireless smart sensor
network Structural Health Monitoring system, steps had to be taken to both protect the
delicate electrical components, and optimize their performance from the laboratory-scale
to the full-scale. In order to protect the components from the harsh environment of the
site, the electrical components were hardened to prevent corrosion, overheating, or other
damage [1].

4.3.1 Network topology

Given the range of the sensors, and the overall size of the network, it was decided to
divide the network into two subnetworks: one on the Jindo Island side of the bridge, and
one on the Haenam side.

Of the 70 total sensor nodes in the network, 33 of the nodes were on the Jindo
subnetwork (22 on the deck, 3 on the pylon, and 8 on the cables), leaving 37 nodes on the
Haenam subnetwork (26 on the deck, 3 on the pylon, and 7 on the cables). A base station
for each subnetwork was placed on the concrete piers supporting the steel pylons of the
old Jindo Bridge [1].

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4.3.2 Base station
Perhaps the most critical component of the wireless smart sensor network is the base
station, as it provides complete access to the network itself. “The base station controls
the network by,
1. Sending messages to the leaf nodes,
2. Storing the transmitted data from the WSSN,
3. Processing received data, and
4. Transferring the data to the remote server via internet [1].”

4.3.2.1 Components of base station

In order to reliably control the wireless smart sensor network, “the base station is
composed of an industrial-grade PC running Windows XP Professional OS, an
uninterrupted power supply (UPS) backup, a gateway node and an environmentally
hardened enclosure, as shown below in Figure [4].” [1]

Figure [4]: Base station [1].

4.3.3 Smart sensor nodes

The smart sensor nodes themselves were also placed in environmentally hardened
enclosures: Water-tight PVC enclosures were employed protect from moisture, while not
interfering with radio communication. In addition, to extend the radio communication
range, the Imote2 was modified to include an external antenna which was mounted to the
enclosure.

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“The smart sensor nodes for the deck, pylons and cables were mounted using different
methods. The leaf nodes on the deck were mounted upside down on the bottom side of
the deck using magnets. The leaf nodes on the pylons also employed the magnets for
attachment. This magnet is one-directional and has a 10 kg holding capacity. Using two
magnets on the bottom of each enclosure, the secure connection between the sensor
enclosure and the bridge steel surface is ensured. In addition, the magnets are surrounded
by a double-sticky Styrofoam panel with the thickness of the magnet, to prevent the
vibration due to the vortex-shedding in the gap between the enclosure and structure
surface. This approach reduces the installation time and effort under the deck [1].”

Since the magnets could not be incorporated for mounting the sensors to the round
cables, these nodes were mounted using 2 U-bars and an aluminum mounting plate and
were protected from direct sunlight by a stainless steel cover.

Following the completion of the software setup and verification, the leaf nodes were
installed on the bridge at the locations shown below in Figure [5].

Figure [5]: Sensor locations [1].

4.4 Evaluation of the SHM system

4.4.1 Hardware performance

Throughout their deployment on the new Jindo Bridge, the hardware components
including the smart sensor nodes base stations and the anemometer showed reliable
performance. One of the most important factors in the system’s performance is due to the
resolution of the SHM-A sensor board. With a resolution of ~0.3mg, the sensor has the
ability to accurately measure the bridge vibration in the range of 5~30 mg. In addition,
its programmable sampling frequency features allow the sensor to capture major natural

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frequencies of the bridge under 1 Hz, as opposed to lesser models only supporting a
frequency of 280 Hz and higher.

Although the horizontal component of the wind direction was not measured due to a
hardware malfunction on the anemometer, the SHM-W sensor board has provided
reliable measurements of additional wind information.

Additionally, the two base stations provided stable remote monitoring of the Jindo Bridge
and reliable communication with each gateway node [1].

4.4.2 Software performance

After the sensing and radio communication parameters were successfully optimized, the
software has shown stable performance. The wireless smart sensor network was able to
collect data concerning the ambient vibration of the bridge. Figure [6] shows a sample of
the recorded data, of which the levels are ~8 mg, ~40 mg, and ~5 mg for the deck, cable,
and pylon, respectively.

Figure [6]: Acceleration on the Jindo side on 6/12/2009 at 04:50 PM [1].

The power spectral densities of the deck vibrations at the mid span, quarter span, and at
the pylon were investigated and are shown in Figure [7a]. “The PSD magnitude of deck
sensors near pylon is almost zero; however, the other two sensors at the mid span and at
the quarter span show significant energy around 0.44, 0.66 and 1.03 Hz, implying the
natural frequencies of the bridge [1].” Figure [7b] shows the comparison between the
power spectral densities from the existing wired sensor at the quarter span, and the
wireless sensor at the same location.

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 Figure [7]: Power spectral density comparison at the quarter span of the Jindo Side [1].

5 Data Analyses – Jindo Bridge

After evaluating the deployment of the sensors themselves, an assessment of the
performance of the wireless SHM system was done by analyzing the measured
acceleration data.

5.1 Finite element model of Jindo Bridge

In order to accurately assess the performance of the wireless smart sensor network
Structural Health Monitoring system deployed on the new Jindo Bridge, it was necessary
to construct a finite element model of the bridge. This model was created from an in-
depth study of the detailed drawing and design documents, and validated using the
acceleration data from the wired monitoring system that was originally installed on the
bridge [2].

5.1.1 Construction of finite element model

The bridge’s main box girder was modeled by 128 frame elements, with 6 different
sectional properties and additional masses applied to represent the pavement, guide rails,
water supply pipes, curbs and diaphragms. Each of the two pylons was modeled by 110
frame elements, with 7 separate sectional properties, and fixed boundary conditions since
the spread footings are located on stiff rock.

The cables themselves were modeled by truss elements with Ernst equivalent elastic
moduli, since the self-weight of the cables creates a nonlinear effect with resulting
tension forces and sag. Figure [8] depicts the FE model of the new Jindo Bridge [2].

5.1.2 Validation of the finite element model

Figure [9] “shows the first six mode shapes that were evaluated from the FE model,
including longitudinal, lateral, vertical and torsional modes the first 10 natural

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frequencies of the vertical modes are obtained as 0.442, 0.647, 1.001, 1.247, 1.349,
1.460, 1.586, 2.115, 2.139 and 2.561 Hz [2].”

Figure [8]: Finite Element model of the new Jindo Bridge [2].

Figure [9]: Mode shapes and natural frequencies of the new Jindo Bridge from the FE
analysis [2].

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5.2 Measured acceleration data
The global coordinate system of the structure and cables used to evaluate the measured
acceleration data is shown below, in Figure [10].

Figure [10]: Coordinate system for global structure and cables [2].

Examples of the ambient acceleration data measured on the 2 cables are shown in Figure
[11], while Figure [12] shows the ambient acceleration data measured on deck and the
pylons. “The amplitudes of the acceleration due to automobile traffic on the bridge are
found to be large enough for mode extraction, especially for the vertical modes (Z-axis)
[2].”

Figure [11]: Examples of measured acceleration data on cables (Jindo-side, on 9/11/2009)

[2].

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 Figure [12]: Examples of measured acceleration data on the deck and pylon (Jindo-side
on 9/11/2009) [2].

5.3 Output-only modal identification

Perhaps the most important properties to be considered in Structural Health Monitoring
of bridges are the modal properties, such as natural frequencies, mode shapes, and modal
damping ratios. These properties can be used to evaluate the structural integrity, assess
aerodynamic stability, calibrate the baseline finite element model, and vibration control
of the deck and cables, among other applications. “To analyze the ambient (or
operational) acceleration data excited by ambient sources, such as wind and traffic,
output-only modal identification methods are required. The output-only modal
identification methods are based on the assumption that input is broadband Gaussian
random process. In this study, two output-only modal identification methods are
employed using the ambient vibration data. They are the frequency domain
decomposition (FDD) and stochastic subspace identification (SSI) methods [2].”

5.3.1 Results of modal analysis

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5.3.1.1 Identified modal properties from individual WSSN
Using the frequency domain decomposition, and stochastic subspace identification
methods, modal analyses were carried out on the two sets of data obtained from the
Haenam and Jindo side WSSNs. Since the WSSNs collect data independently of each
other, the data from each sensor is analyzed separately and then combined subsequently.
Each 5000 point acceleration data record is processed to obtain the power spectral density
matrix for the frequency domain decomposition method.

Table [3] shows a comparison between the identified natural frequencies and those
obtained from both the wired monitoring system and the FE analysis. “The identified
natural frequencies show excellent agreements with the frequencies obtained from the
wired monitoring system in 2007. The results are also found to be in good agreement
with the FE analysis through the 3rd vertical mode, while those for the higher modes are
generally larger than the FE results. However, the differences are found to be within
16% [2].”

Table [3]: Natural frequencies from SSI and FDD (Haenam-side on 9/8/2009, Jindo-side
on 9/22/2009) [2].

5.3.1.2 Combination of modes from two sensor networks

As previously mentioned, since the data from the sensors is collected independently, the
modal properties from each WSSN must be combined to provide the global information
for the Structural Health Monitoring. In order to construct the global mode shapes, the
least-square method must be applied to combine the modes at the four overlapped
reference nodes at mid-span.

Figure [13] shows an example of the combined mode shapes compared to those derived
from the FE analysis. “The MAC values of 0.943-0.986 between the respective modes
demonstrate the excellent agreement in the results, reinforcing the exceptional
performance of the WSSN [2].” It is possible in the future that the software will be

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developed to synchronize the two separated base stations and could be implemented on
the new Jindo Bridge in the near future.

Figure [13]: Mode shapes identified from the data (left) and from the FE analysis (right)
[2].

5.4 Estimation of cable tension forces

5.4.1 Description of cable properties
Symmetric in both the longitudinal and lateral directions, the 2 nd Jindo Bridge has 60
parallel wire strange stay cables. Each of the pylons supports 30 cables, with 15 cables
on each (east/west) side. There are 4 different groups of cables, each with a different
cross section consisting of a number of 7mm diameter steel wires (i.e.: ϕ7x139, ϕ7x109,

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ϕ7x73, and ϕ7x151). To diminish the wind-induced cable vibration, high damping
rubber dampers were installed on cable anchors.

As previously mentioned, 15 of these cables were fitted with wireless smart sensor nodes.
10 of these cables were selected to estimate the tension forces, because of their large
tension levels detected by the wired sensors. The general properties of the cables are
shown below, in Table [4].

Table [4]: Properties of the cables monitored [2].

It is important to note that the nodes placed to monitor the cables were mounted about 3
meters above the deck to allow for easy access, and the rubber dampers did not
significantly affect the response of the cable [2].

5.4.2 Vibration method for cable tension estimation

In order to accurately monitor the global integrity of a cable-stayed bridge, it is
imperative that cable tension forces be continuously monitored to determine cable
degradation and anchorage slippage. For this research, the identified natural frequencies
were used to estimate the cable tensions. Equation [1] given below describes the
relationship between the tension force and the natural frequencies [2].

[1]

In the above equation, T is the cable tension force, n is the order of the dominant modes,
fn is the frequency of the n-th dominant modes, m is unit mass of the cable, and Leff is the
effective length of the cable. Through a regression to find the intercept a and slope b, T
can be determined as:

[2]
From the measured acceleration data collected by the tri-axial accelerometers on the
cables of Jindo side, it was possible to create a Fourier Amplitude Spectra for both the
cable motions, and the deck motions. These FAS are shown below in Figure [14].

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 Figure [14]: Fourier spectra of acceleration data on the deck and cables (Jindo-side, on
9/11/2009) [2].

These spectra show that some of the many apparent peaks for the vertical cable vibration
can be attributed to the deck motion owing to deck-cable interaction, especially in the
vertical direction. However, this is not necessarily the case for the lateral cable
vibrations, as the corresponding FAS do not contain so many peaks related to the deck
motion. This is interesting to note, as the modal properties of the cable are very similar
in the vertical and lateral directions due to the circular cross-section, slenderness and
small sag of the stay cable [2].

“Hence, in this study, the natural frequencies of the cables are extracted from vertical
vibration with complementary use of the lateral vibration components. The first five
identified frequencies for two cables are: 0.645, 1.294, 1.948, 2.598, and 3.247 Hz for
Cable JC 13 with Node C-JE7. The natural frequencies are found to be most proportional
to the order of modes (n), which is a dynamic characteristic of a slender cable with little
bending and sag effect [2].”

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5.4.3 Interaction between deck and cables
It is seen in the FAS in Figure [14] that the 1 st frequency of Cable JC15 with Node C-JE8
corresponds to the frequency of the 2 nd vertical mode of the deck, while the 3rd frequency
of Cable JC13 with Node C-JE7 corresponds to the frequency of the 8th vertical mode of
the deck. “If the frequency of oscillation of the deck and/or tower falls in the
neighborhood of the frequencies of the lower modes of a stay cable, the stay cable may
be subjected to large vibration [2].” A similar interaction in lower frequency range
between the deck/pylon and the cable vibration has been reported in other research
situations as well, and has been labeled parametric excitation. It is generally difficult to
avoid this type of excitation in a long-span bridge with many cables, but if found to be
significant then cable dampers may be used to reduce the response [2].

5.4.4 Estimated cable tension forces

After identifying the dominant frequencies, the tension forces for the 10 monitored cables
could be estimated. These estimations are shown below in Figure [15]. The results show
consistency with respect to the monitoring periods. Table [5] gives a comparison of the
averages to those obtained from previous regular inspections performed in 2007 and
2008, as well as those specified in the initial design documents and from the maintenance
thresholds. It can be seen that the estimations correspond very well to the data from
previous inspections, with no less than 4% difference. While the tension forces of 8
cables have slightly increased with time, 2 of the cables supporting the side spans have
slightly decreased. In addition, 9 of the cables have an estimated cable tension force
larger than the initial design values. However, all of the cable tension values are well
within the maintenance thresholds, showing that the cable are in good health and are in
safe operation.

Figure [15]: Estimated tension forces for 10 cables [2].

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Table [5]: Comparison of estimated tension forces with those from previous regular
inspections in 2007 and 2008 [2].

5.5 Data Analyses Results

Based on the estimation of the cable tension forces, and the modal analysis, the results of
the data analyses from the wireless smart network sensors, are as follows [2]:
1. Using the ambient acceleration measurements from the wireless smart sensor
network, it was possible to determine the modal properties of the bridge through
the Fourier Domain Decomposition method (FDD), and the Stochastic Subspace
Identification method (SSI). The results from the WSSN for the natural
frequencies were in agreement with the data collected from the existing wired
monitoring system, and the extracted mode shapes correlate to the Finite Element
analysis.
2. It was determined that the constructed Finite Element model requires updating,
because the frequencies of the higher modes of the model differ from the
identified values by ~ 16%.
3. In order to accurately estimate the natural frequencies of the cables, the
relationship between the deck and the cables must be carefully considered. Since
these natural frequencies are used to estimate the tension force, it was beneficial
to use the lateral vibration data of the cables since they are less sensitive to the
deck motion.
4. The results of the cable tension forces were validated by their agreement with the
data from the previous regular inspections (i.e., less than 4% difference.

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6 Conclusions

As much of the civil infrastructure of the United States reaches its service life, it has
become necessary for a change in the engineering industry in order to more accurately
and reliably monitor the health of structures. Although there is a place for conventional
testing methods, in order to accurately establish the structural integrity of large, complex
civil infrastructure systems, it is absolutely essential to collect large amounts of data over
a longer period of time. Through the implementation of Structural Health Monitoring
methods using a wireless smart sensor network, this has been made possible. These
networks of smart sensors are low-cost, easy to install, and are capable of effectively
managing large amounts of data through on-board computation.

The state-of-the-art wireless smart sensor network Structural Health Monitoring system
successfully deployed on the Jindo Bridge in South Korea has provided significant
research advancement to the long term monitoring of civil infrastructure. Not only does
the system provide autonomous structural monitoring, but its unique threshold detection
abilities, power harvesting solar cells, and energy efficient sleeping mode give
researchers the ability to gather long-term data with minimal system maintenance. Since
the monitoring results of the wireless smart sensor network system are in agreement with
the wired monitoring system already in place on the Jindo Bridges, the use of the Imote2
smart sensor platform, the SHM-A sensor board, and the ISHMP software is validated as
a means for full-scale, continuous, autonomous SHM.

It is also important to note that researchers are currently developing a substructural

damage identification method for a cable-stayed bridge, using a wireless smart sensor
network. Once this method is fully developed, it will be possible to combine the
substructural modal information for the deck/pylon and cable tension forces and establish
a complete assessment of the structural integrity of the bridge.

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7 References

[1] Shinae Jang, Hongki Jo, Soojin Cho, Kirill Mechitov, Jennifer A. Rice, Sung-Han
Sim, Hyung-Jo Jung, Chung-Bang Yun, Billie F. Spencer, & Gul Agha.
“Structural health monitoring of a cable-stayed bridge using smart sensor
technology: deployment and evaluation.” Smart Structures and Systems, Vol. 6
No. 5-6 pages 439-459. 2010.

[2] Soojin Cho, Hongki Jo, Shinae Jang, Jongwoong Park, Hyung-Jo Jung, Chung-Bang
Yun, Billie F. Spencer, & Ju-Won Seo. “Structural health monitoring of a cable-
stayed bridge using wireless smart technology: data analyses.” Smart Structures
and Systems, Vol. 6 No. 5-6 pages 461-480. 2010.

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