Mandi:Â In a significant move to address the challenge of fatigue-induced damages on bridges, a research team of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi has come up with an innovative method to monitor the health of aging infrastructure, particularly bridges, using traffic data. The research will focus on the most critical areas of deterioration on a bridge instead of monitoring the entire structure.
Under this method, a digital model of the bridge has been developed which is a detailed virtual replica of the actual structure. The team has studied this digital model and predicted how different traffic patterns can impact various parts of the bridge over time, thereby helping to identify the areas that are more vulnerable to damage. Following this identification, fatigue-sensitive sensors have been placed at key locations to monitor stress and vibrations on the bridge. The real-time traffic data from the digital replica helps the team assess how the traffic pattern affects the bridge over time. Consequently, it allows for making the required changes on the bridge to prevent any damage and enable rapid response in case of natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods.
The research team that developed the method is led by Dr Subhamoy Sen, Associate Professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (IIT Mandi), and includes his research scholar Eshwar Kuncham. Dr. Sen highlighted the practical benefits of the intervention and explained that the approach by focusing only on the critical zones, reduces maintenance costs and the need for extensive equipment significantly. The innovation will particularly offer efficient solutions to government agencies and transportation departments for managing aging infrastructure in the country.
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