Metasensing in Bridge Monitoring The Encardio Rite Edge

Bridges stand as marvels of structural engineering, symbolizing connectivity and architectural brilliance. Encardio Rite, at the forefront of this domain, offers unmatched bridge monitoring solutions, ensuring these vital structures are safe functional, and enduring symbols of human progress.

Advanced Sensing Technologies for Structural Health:

At Encardio Rite, our approach is deeply rooted in advanced sensing technologies. Combining traditional geotechnical instruments with cutting-edge remote sensing methods like InSAR provides a depth of structural analysis unrivaled in the industry. Our arsenal includes high-frequency piezometers for foundation stability and advanced techniques for deformation analysis, ensuring comprehensive insights into the health of bridges.

Environmental Influence and Countermeasures:

Understanding the dynamic nature of bridge environments, we integrate meteorological monitoring into our solutions. This includes rain gauges, 3D anemometers, and environmental sensors, providing engineers with essential data to mitigate environmental impacts and adapt maintenance strategies.

Scour and Corrosion Monitoring for Longevity:

Recognizing scour and corrosion as major threats to bridge integrity, our systems offer real-time insights to identify and predict vulnerabilities. Our approach extends beyond problem identification to predictive maintenance through electromagnetic sensors and corrosion potential meters.

Read more: Guardians of Bridges: Battling Scour and Corrosion with Advanced Monitoring

High-Precision Monitoring with Fiber Optics and GNSS:

Utilizing the precision of fiber optics and GNSS, we achieve meticulous structural monitoring. This technology captures minute displacements and strains, which is essential for proactive maintenance and ensuring the bridge's longevity.

Customized Instrumentation and Monitoring Workflow:

Understanding the uniqueness of each bridge, we tailor our solutions from sensor selection to installation and data analysis. Our expertise ensures that each bridge receives a monitoring solution as unique as its design.

Global Presence and Proqio Integration:

With installation capabilities and turnkey project management across various regions, our global approach is exemplified by Proqio. Proqio, our infrastructure data intelligence platform, is the hub for project monitoring. It seamlessly integrates data from any sensor project schedule, providing digital twins, user-friendly UI/UX, custom dashboards, and automatic reporting, allowing for efficient and effective project management on a global scale. 

Comprehensive List of Services and Products:

Our comprehensive list of services and products encompasses turnkey on-site project management, installation and technical support, geotechnical support, drone surveying, Lidar, automatic total stations, fiber optic sensors, GNSS for monitoring and surveying, and various specialized instruments.

Standout Global Projects:

(a) Bogibeel Bridge Loading Phase 2018:

• Bogibeel Bridge is a 4.94 km combined road and rail bridge over the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India. It's the longest rail-cum-road bridge in India and the second-longest in Asia, designed to withstand earthquakes up to magnitude 7 on the Richter scale.
• Encardio Rite's Role: Encardio Rite provided turnkey services including sensors, data loggers, weather stations, and geodetic targets for monitoring. The team installed and commissioned the instruments, enabling automatic monitoring and real-time monitoring through a web-based data management system.
• Outcome: Successful implementation of a comprehensive monitoring system ensured accurate load testing and risk assessment, contributing to the bridge's resilience and safety in a seismically active region.

(b) Malcolm X Bridge Project:

• Project Description: The Malcolm X Bridge is a key structure in Maryland's $5.6 billion Purple Line project. Rite Geosystems, a subsidiary of Encardio, used biaxial tiltmeters to monitor transportation properties for this project.
• Encardio Rite’s Role: Tasked with providing instrumentation and monitoring during pile foundation construction, especially as the Purple Line passes through densely developed suburbs. The focus was on existing structure protection due to the proximity of construction activities.
• Outcome: Effective monitoring and risk assessment ensured the safety and structural integrity of the Malcolm X Bridge and adjacent areas during the Purple Line construction.

(c) Harry Nice Bridge:

• The Harry Nice Bridge, also known as the Potomac River Bridge, spans the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia. It features a continuous truss design and measures approximately 10,050 ft.
• Encardio Rite's Role: Rite Geosystems LLC, a subsidiary of Encardio Rite, provided instrumentation and monitoring services for the bridge during pre-construction baseline monitoring and construction phases. This included supplying various geotechnical instruments such as strain gauges, tilt meters, prism targets, crack meters, piezometers, and inclinometers, and conducting monitoring with compact data loggers, surveys, and reporting.
• Outcome: The monitoring plan effectively protected existing structures, utilities, and facilities during the construction of the new Nice Middleton Bridge, embankments, and related developments, ensuring structural integrity and safety. 

(d) Joseph Blanc Bridge Project, France:

• Project Description: The Joseph Blanc Bridge, dating back to 1937 in Le Bouchet Mont-Charvin, France, needed repair due to slow landslides affecting its structural integrity. In August 2021, a 9.6 m long temporary metal deck was installed to restore stability within 13 weeks.
• Encardio-Rite's Role: We provided instrumentation through a local distributor, offering technical support for sensor installation and datalogger commissioning. Our web-based data management system (WDMS) was set up for automatic monitoring with instant SMS/email alerts.
• Outcome: The system enabled real-time structural health monitoring, allowing stakeholders to access data remotely and ensuring the bridge’s prompt and safe reopening for traffic.

(e) East Midtown Greenway Project, USA:

• Project Description: The East Midtown Greenway Project aims to complete the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway along the East River, introducing a pedestrian bridge and various recreational features.
• Encardio-Rite's Role: Rite Geosystems Inc., our USA Company, provided complete instrumentation for the project, including crack meters, tiltmeters, and data loggers.
• Outcome: The successful implementation of our monitoring solutions ensured the structural integrity and safety of the new pedestrian bridge and esplanade, enhancing the urban landscape of Manhattan.

(f) BR 1-159 Bridge on James Street Over Christina River Project, USA

• Project Description: The BR 1-159 Bridgeon James Street over Christina River Project involved replacing an old bridge with a new 393’-11 7/8”, 5-span bridge in New Castle County, Delaware, to address structural deficiencies and corrosion issues.
• Encardio-Rite's Role: Rite Geosystems Inc. supplied geotechnical instrumentation to monitor soil conditions around a critical sewer pipe, protecting it against construction impacts.
• Outcome: The monitoring ensured the protection of vital utilities and facilitated the smooth progression of construction, contributing to the successful completion of the new bridge.

(g) I78 Bypass Project, USA:

• Project Description: The I78 bypass project in the USA involved geotechnical instrumentation for monitoring sub-surface movements and environmental conditions.
• Encardio-Rite's Role: We supplied and installed geotechnical instruments, including in-place inclinometers, multipoint borehole extensometers, and piezometers, and set up an online WDMS for real-time data access.
• Outcome: Our solutions provided critical insights for the project’s progress, with real-time data accessible for efficient decision-making and ensuring project safety.

Read more: Insights from the Top 5 Bridge Monitoring System Projects in the USA

Innovative Products for Comprehensive Metasensing:

Our hermetically sealed product range with an IP8 Rating, sealed with Electron Beam Welding, includes wind sensors, fog detectors, rainfall gauges, and other geotechnical sensors, forms the backbone of our monitoring solutions, ensuring an all-encompassing approach to bridge health assessment.

1. Triaxial Ultrasonic Anemometer: Measures wind speed and direction in all directions, crucial for determining when to restrict traffic during extreme windstorms. 
2. Visibility & Fog Detector: Ensures road safety by measuring visibility levels to caution traffic and impose speed restrictions when necessary. 
3. Pyranometer: Measures solar radiation, providing essential global data for structural analysis. 
4. Barometer: This instrument measures atmospheric pressure, contributing to global data for structural analysis.
5. Rainfall Gauge: Positioned at strategic locations on the bridge, these gauges measure rainfall rate and total rainfall, offering valuable global data for future records.
6. Temperature & RH Sensor: They measure ambient temperature and relative humidity in air. They are strategically placed for optimal data collection.
7. Asphalt Temperature: They measure the temperature of the asphalt, contributing to the global data needed for structural analysis.
8. Concrete Deck Temperature: Similar to the asphalt temperature sensors, these sensors measure the temperature of the concrete deck.
9. Steel Deck Temperature: These sensors monitor the temperature of the steel deck, aiding in global data collection for structural analysis.
10. Video Surveillance: Ensuring operational and security oversight, cameras are installed at key locations. Their quantity can be increased based on security requirements.
11. Dynamic Weigh in Motion Sensor: These sensors measure road traffic load and speed. Each unit includes Class 1 quartz sensors, a temperature sensor, inductive loops, and an enclosure.
12. Sonic Motion Sensor: Positioned at both ends of the bridge, these sensors detect train traffic.
13. Scour Monitoring Sensors: Monitor scour at critical pier locations.
14. Load Cell: Measure the vertical load on bearings at various strategic points.
15. Static Strain Gauge: With these gauges, strain in concrete is measured at key structural points.
16. Dynamic Strain Gauge: These gauges measure strain in structural steel at critical locations.
17. Accelerometer: Measure the acceleration/frequency of girders, strategically placed for comprehensive monitoring.
18. Displacement Transducer: Measure the displacement of girders at critical points.
19. GPS Rover & Reference Stations (GNSS): Measure girder deflection, including two reference stations.
20. Tiltmeter & Inclinometer: Measure the tilt of piers and rotation of the girders at various strategic points.
21. Corrosion Sensor: Detect corrosion of concrete rebar at key bridge locations.

Read more: Bridge Monitoring Sensors: Types and Applications

Our diverse array of monitoring solutions represents the pinnacle of bridge monitoring technology. From wind and visibility sensors to advanced structural integrity gauges, each product is a testament to our commitment to safety, precision, and innovation. These instruments not only offer invaluable data for the immediate assessment and response to environmental and structural conditions but also contribute to the long-term sustainability and resilience of bridge infrastructures worldwide. 

Encardio Rite's bridge monitoring solutions embody a fusion of technological excellence and engineering acumen. Our commitment to innovation and comprehensive solutions ensures that the bridges we monitor stand not only as structures but as testaments to safety, resilience, and longevity in the face of time and nature.