Bridge Damage Detection Using Weigh-In-Motion Technology

This paper proposes a new level I damage detection technique for short to medium span road bridges using weigh-in-motion (WIM) technology. The technique is based on the input provided by two different WIM systems: (a) a pavement-based WIM station located prior to the bridge (which gives vehicle weight estimates without the influence of the bridge) and (b) a bridge-based WIM system which estimates vehicle weights based on the deformation of the bridge. It is shown that the ratio of estimations of vehicle weights by both systems is a reliable and robust indicator of structural integrity even for WIM systems with relatively poor accuracy. Furthermore, this indicator is shown to be more sensitive to damage than the traditional method based on variation in natural frequencies.