ABSTRACT
The potential benefits of using structural health monitoring systems in measuring and recording bridge data have been established in many applications around the world, but the efficiency and effectiveness of such systems depends on how they are applied – for instance, in terms of sensor types and locations on the structure. Considering that the most important data required generally includes superstructure movements, which can easily be measured at the expansion joints, and the critical importance of the same expansion joints, which are less robust and therefore more susceptible to damage and deterioration than the main structure, it is often sensible to base the design of a monitoring system on data from the expansion joints. Developing technology now allows for the integration of appropriate sensors in a joint during fabrication, reducing effort and risk on site, and can enable a suitably configured system to automatically detect possible damage or deterioration based on vibrations only, marking the advent of “smart” expansion joints.
