Structural Health Monitoring System for Suspension Footbridge

The article presents the structural health monitoring (SHM) system installed in a footbridge in Radom. The main reason for the need for fitting of such a system was failed acceptance tests of the bridge. While under a dynamic load consisting of a group of 12 pedestrians jumping on the bridge, the bridge developed vibration during which acceleration of the deck of up to 4.5 m/s2 was recorded. Such behavior of the footbridge causes unacceptable discomfort to the users and risks damage to the footbridge. A remedial design is currently in development for the structure, based on the use of tuned mass dampers (TMD). Utilizing a monitoring system will increase the operational safety of the structure, will provide data on the structure's behavior during use and will provide current information about its general technical condition.