Floods pose a critical threat to bridge infrastructure, which plays an essential role in transportation networks and economic resilience. This review examines state-of-the-art Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) technologies tailored to mitigate flood risks, focusing on their real-world applications in flood-prone bridges. A central feature of this review is the extensive use of case studies, illustrating diverse SHM methods applied globally to monitor challenges such as debris accumulation, hydrodynamic forces, and scour—primary causes of bridge failures. These examples provide detailed insights into technologies like sonar-based devices, scour probes, photographic monitoring, rotation- and vibration-based techniques. By showcasing specific case studies—such as bridges monitored using smart magnetic rocks, Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), and fibre optic sensors—the review highlights practical outcomes, demonstrating how SHM systems enhance resilience through early detection and predictive maintenance. It also explores the challenges of implementing these systems, including environmental sensitivity, cost, and data complexity, while identifying gaps in integrating hydraulic and structural data for holistic risk assessments. This review advocates for multidisciplinary collaboration and advanced data-driven solutions, such as AI-based predictive maintenance, to address climate change impacts and increasing flood risks. By bridging cutting-edge research with real-world applications, this article provides actionable insights into scalable, adaptive SHM solutions, inspiring engineers and researchers to develop more resilient infrastructure for a changing world.
With the growing importance of the principle of sustainability, there is an increasing interest in the use of timber–concrete composite for floors, especially for medium and large span buildings. Timber–concrete composite combines the better properties of both materials and reduces their disadvantages. The most common choice is to use a cross-laminated timber panel as a base for a timber–concrete composite. But a timber–concrete composite solution with plywood rib panels with an adhesive connection between the timber base and fibre reinforced concrete layer is offered as the more cost-effective constructive solution. An algorithm for determining the rational parameters of the panel cross-section has been developed. The software was written based on the proposed algorithm to compare timber–concrete composite panels with cross-laminated timber and plywood rib panel bases. The developed algorithm includes recommendations of forthcoming Eurocode 5 for timber–concrete composite design and an innovative approach to vibration calculations. The obtained data conclude that the proposed structural solution has up to 73% lower cost and up to 71% smaller self-weight. Thus, the proposed timber–concrete composite construction can meet the needs of society for cost-effective and sustainable innovative floor solutions.
Introduction. By method of induction using three independent parameters (numbers of panels) formulas for deflection under different types of loading are derived. Curves based on the derived formulas are analyzed, and the asymptotic of solutions for the number of panels are sought. The frame is statically definable, symmetrical, with descending braces. The problem of deflection under the action of a load evenly distributed over the nodes of the upper chord, a concentrated load in the middle of the span, and the problem of shifting the mobile support is considered. Materials and methods. The calculation of forces in the truss bars is performed in symbolic form using the method of cutting nodes and operators of the Maple computer mathematics system. The deflection is determined by the Maxwell – Mohr formula. Operators of the Maple computer mathematics system are used for composing and solving homogeneous linear recurrent equations that satisfy sequences of coefficients of the required dependencies. The stiffness of all truss bars is assumed to be the same. Results. All the obtained dependencies have a polynomial form for the number of panels. To illustrate the obtained solutions and their qualitative analysis, curves of the deflection dependence on the number of panels are constructed. Conclusions. A scheme of a statically definable three-parameter truss is proposed that allows an analytical solution of the problem of deflection and displacement of the support. The obtained dependences can be used in engineering practice in problems of structural rigidity optimization and for evaluating the accuracy of numerical solutions.
13 December 2017 in The Baltic Journal of Road and Bridge Engineering
Cable truss usage allows developing bridges with reduced requirements for girder stiffness, where overall bridge rigidity is ensured by prestressing of the stabilization cable. The advantages of prestressed suspension trusses to provide required stiffness without massive stiffness girders and the ability of cross-laminated timber to behave in both directions are combined in the analysed structure. Prestressed cable truss with coincident (unclear meaning, difficult to translate) in the centre point of the span main and stabilization cables and vertical suspenders only was considered as the main load carrying system in the considered structure of suspension bridge. Two numerical models evaluated influence of cross-laminated timber deck on the behaviour of prestressed cable truss. Two physical models of the structure with the span equal to 2 m were developed for verification of the numerical models. The first physical model was developed for the case, when panels of the deck are placed without clearances and behaving in the longitudinal direction in compression so as in the transversal direction in bending. The second physical model was developed for the case when panels of the deck are placed with clearances and are behaving in the transverse direction in bending only. The dependences of maximum vertical displacements and horizontal support reaction of the cable truss on the intensity of vertical load in cases of symmetric and unsymmetrical loading were obtained for both physical models. Possibility to decrease the cable truss materials consumption by 17% by taking into accountcombined work of prestressed cable trusses and cross-laminated timber panels was stated.
One of the limitations of using glued connections in practice is related to the need for connection quality control. Still, the need for the non-destructive quality control of finished products to determine the compliance of the developed structure with the designed one still exists. Considering the small amount of research on timber–concrete composites with glued connections, there is a lack of research on non-destructive methods for the quality control of rigid connections in timber–concrete composite structures. During the literature analysis, no information was found on the possibilities of testing the quality of the rigid timber-to-concrete connection. Therefore, two well-known methods—operational modal analysis and ultrasonic testing—were tested to verify the possibilities of applying these methods in determining defects in the rigid glued connection between the concrete and timber layers in the timber–concrete composite structures. A series of small-scale specimens produced by the stone chips method with and without artificially made defects in the timber-to-concrete adhesive connection was tested by both methods. Operational modal analysis shows significant changes in mode shape, frequency values, and spectral density diagrams. Despite the sufficiently large reflection of the ultrasonic signal on the timber and concrete boundary, the transmitted signal is sufficient to perform local ultrasonic tests for detecting defects in the adhesive connection. Thus, it is concluded that the principles of both methods can be applied in practice, and further research is needed to develop testing technology.