The paper describes two possible alternatives of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) as a solution for the inspection and maintenance of cable-stayed bridges. Especially, it covers the problem of the quantitative deployment of the stay- force measuring devices and foreseen benefits from their application. Deliberations are conducted on the basis of a newly designed cable-stayed bridge in Poland, fully equipped with a long term, remote SHM. Under consideration are two possible monitoring solutions, according to the state of the art in the field of the force measurements: Measurement of the forces by means of accelerometers or by elasto-magnetic sensors. It is presented the selection of the monitoring devices and the optimal number to be used based on the minimization of the total expected cost of the bridge, including the cost of monitoring. The main objective of the example is to mature these methods and highlight their influence on the total cost of the bridge, considering a life-cycle cost analysis.

Peer Reviewed