Last month, scaled specimens of two different types of bridge spans were built to carry out planned experimental tests of the SENSAT project. Specifically, a reinforced concrete box girder bridge span with three post-tensioned tendons and a steel truss bridge span will be tested at the ICITECH laboratories of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).
While placing the steel reinforcement of the concrete bridge span, the Building Resilient and Calsens team positioned strain gauges on passive bars and post-tensioning tendons. The installed sensors were then protected before pouring the concrete to complete the bridge span specimen.
Both the concrete and steel bridge spans have been transported to the ICITECH laboratories to start the experimental campaign that will be carried out in the coming months. These tests have two main objectives: 1) to validate a novel shape sensing system for structural health monitoring of steel and concrete bridges, and 2) to simulate, analyse and predict local failures in bridges.
