A Novel Laser and Video-Based Displacement Transducer to Monitor Bridge Deflections
1
Department of Civil Engineering, University of Burgos, c/Villadiego, s/n. 09001 Burgos, Spain
2
Department of Civil Engineering, Parks College of Engineering, Aviation and Technology, Saint Louis University, 3540 Lindell Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63103, USA
3
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Portland State University, 1930 SW 4th Ave, Portland, OR 97201, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sensors 2018, 18(4), 970; https://doi.org/10.3390/s18040970
Received: 22 February 2018
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Revised: 19 March 2018
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Accepted: 23 March 2018
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Published: 25 March 2018
(This article belongs to the Special Issue I3S 2017 Selected Papers)
The measurement of static vertical deflections on bridges continues to be a first-level technological challenge. These data are of great interest, especially for the case of long-term bridge monitoring; in fact, they are perhaps more valuable than any other measurable parameter. This is because material degradation processes and changes of the mechanical properties of the structure due to aging (for example creep and shrinkage in concrete bridges) have a direct impact on the exhibited static vertical deflections. This paper introduces and evaluates an approach to monitor displacements and rotations of structures using a novel laser and video-based displacement transducer (LVBDT). The proposed system combines the use of laser beams, LED lights, and a digital video camera, and was especially designed to capture static and slow-varying displacements. Contrary to other video-based approaches, the camera is located on the bridge, hence allowing to capture displacements at one location. Subsequently, the sensing approach and the procedure to estimate displacements and the rotations are described. Additionally, laboratory and in-service field testing carried out to validate the system are presented and discussed. The results demonstrate that the proposed sensing approach is robust, accurate, and reliable, and also inexpensive, which are essential for field implementation.
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Keywords:
displacement sensor; laser beam; digital video camera; static deflection; long-term monitoring; bridge
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MDPI and ACS Style
Vicente, M.A.; Gonzalez, D.C.; Minguez, J.; Schumacher, T. A Novel Laser and Video-Based Displacement Transducer to Monitor Bridge Deflections. Sensors 2018, 18, 970. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18040970
AMA Style
Vicente MA, Gonzalez DC, Minguez J, Schumacher T. A Novel Laser and Video-Based Displacement Transducer to Monitor Bridge Deflections. Sensors. 2018; 18(4):970. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18040970
Chicago/Turabian StyleVicente, Miguel A., Dorys C. Gonzalez, Jesus Minguez, and Thomas Schumacher. 2018. "A Novel Laser and Video-Based Displacement Transducer to Monitor Bridge Deflections" Sensors 18, no. 4: 970. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18040970
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