ABSTRACT
The Service Public of Wallonia (SPW) oversees 6,000 bridges in Belgium, relying on specialized departments for their operation and maintenance.
Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is crucial for managing aging infrastructure. To achieve that goal SPW began to use a camera-based monitoring system. The system is compatible with all commonly available cameras (including smartphones) and enables precise monitoring of structural displacements with no traffic disruption.
This paper shows the outcome of 2-year long structural health monitoring campaign. The camera-based system was used on the Lincent Bridge, where settlement caused concrete beams to become trapped. The monitoring system initially employed conventional sensors, resulting in inconclusive results. In 2021, SPW introduced solar-charged cameras, revealing that the expansion of beams was pushing one of the abutments.
The DES system, showing over 90% correlation with temperature sensors, provided unique insights unattainable through conventional methods. These findings were instrumental in assessing the situation and initiating necessary renovations.
