Monitoring

A reliable computational model is essential for the accurate assessment of the load-bearing capacity, serviceability, and durability of existing bridges.

During monitoring and load tests, usually only external responses, such as deformations, are measured; the internal states of the structure, however, are not. These internal states are crucial for evaluating safety, serviceability, and durability.

Through system identification, the model parameters can be adjusted using measured data so that the structural behavior is represented realistically. Only then can the internal states be determined correctly.

In the following example, a new method for model updating is applied, which uses evolutionary algorithms to solve the inverse problem.

In this example, a section-wise damage is simulated on the single-span beam shown.

The task is to determine the distribution of the modulus of elasticity along the length of the beam so that the difference between the measured deformations under load and the calculated deformations is minimized, thereby identifying the damaged region.