Static and dynamic monitoring of bridges with contactless techniques

Modern geodetic sensors are capable of capturing static and dynamic monitoring data of civil structures with up to several hundred Hertz. In order to assess the potential of such sensors, a comparative field study at a multi span highway bridge in Austria was performed. In the field tests different geodetic sensors such as robotic total stations (RTS) and terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) both in 3D and profile configuration were used to observe the structural behaviour during controlled static and dynamic load tests. Two trucks were placed at different positions on the steel-concrete composite bridge and the displacements of two bridge decks were observed. Additionally, both trucks were crossing the bridge at constant speeds (5 km/h and 30 km/h). In this study it is shown that remote sensing techniques are an appropriate tool for bridge monitoring and can ensure undisturbed operation of civil structures, as well as high accurate deformation measurements.