SmartBridge - Smart Monitoring and Inspection of Bridges Infrastructure

The SmartBridge project aims to revolutionise the monitoring and maintenance of bridge infrastructure by developing an innovative knowledge-based digital platform that will enable the visualisation of bridges’ condition and degradation. These virtual models or twins will combine the multiscale 3D numerical models with sensor data collected and processed from real bridge infrastructure, incorporating operating environmental conditions and inspection history. Condition monitoring sensors including wireless accelerometers, displacement transducers, temperature sensors, strain gauges, barometers, hygrometers etc will be placed on bridges and data will be collected, processed and transferred to the digital twin, continuously resulting in a close to real digital twin of the bridge showing real-time conditions. Such a platform will allow bridge operators to predict failure and plan maintenance before incidents occur. It will reduce maintenance costs by 20% and downtime by 60%. The application of SmartBridge will include (1) Continous remote condition monitoring of bridges infrastructures (2) Risk-based inspection approach to perform intelligent maintenance operations, (3) A better understanding of lifecycle and degradation behaviour of bridges in different operating conditions.