Applus+ was commissioned to conduct emergency bridge monitoring services on three key railway bridges in the central zone of Chile. This vital area of the Chilean economy concentrates a large part of the country's agricultural, industrial, and transportation activities.
Following the Terms of Reference (TOR), we installed geotechnical instrumentation on these structures to monitor their stability and infrastructure conditions in near real-time, ensuring the safety and integrity of these critical assets.
The initial planning and design phases involved geotechnical engineers and project managers, while the installation and monitoring phases required field technicians, IT specialists, and maintenance staff.
The project services included comprehensive monitoring systems using advanced wireless triaxial tilt sensor nodes. These sensors, critical to the system, track various structural and geotechnical parameters over time. Our services also encompassed the supply, installation, and maintenance of monitoring equipment, ensuring seamless and accurate data collection. Technical assistance was provided throughout the project lifecycle, including risk management and continuous data readings to anticipate any potential issues.
We employed cutting-edge technologies, including the FlatMesh™ communication platform, to automatically read our tiltmeters. Data was transmitted to our SIGTUN Infrastructure Monitoring Tool database for real-time visualization and alarm management. This integration ensures efficient monitoring and immediate alerts to key stakeholders.
The project was driven by the impact of extreme rainfall events, which had caused severe flooding. These events had increased stream and river flows, leading to channel overflows and damage to structures. To address these challenges, the client urgently required a real-time structural health monitoring system to protect its century-old structures and ensure the safety of trains, passengers, and goods.
The real challenge was that these structures were situated in remote, inaccessible areas without a stable electricity supply, presenting significant logistical challenges. To address these issues, Applus+ designed an autonomous monitoring system that operates in real-time without external power, utilizing low-consumption FlatMesh™ communication technologies to transmit data to a centralized database.
The installation of the real-time monitoring system has enabled continuous observation of the bridges' structural integrity. The system successfully captures and transmits data on the bridges' movements, providing our client with critical information to make informed decisions.
This project enhances the safety of railway operations by preventing potential structural failures, thereby safeguarding passengers and goods. Additionally, it contributes to the extended lifespan of the bridges, reducing the need for costly repairs. The system also supports the sustainability of the surrounding area by minimizing the environmental impact associated with manual inspections.
To ensure ongoing effectiveness, Applus+ has implemented a maintenance plan that includes regular updates to the monitoring system and continuous technical support. This ensures that the system remains operational and accurate over time.
The client has expressed satisfaction with the monitoring system's reliability and accuracy, highlighting its importance in enhancing safety and operational efficiency. EFE has indicated a potential interest in expanding this technology to other critical infrastructure assets in the future.
With 20 years of experience in structural health monitoring projects, Applus+ has built a solid reputation in the industry. Our proprietary infrastructure monitoring tool, SIGTUN, provides unmatched real-time data management and alarm systems. The track record of our many successful projects highlights our enduring expertise and assures reliability for future projects.
Applus+ uses first-party and third-party cookies for analytical purposes and to show you personalized advertising based on a profile drawn up based on your browsing habits (eg. visited websites). You can accept all cookies by pressing the "Accept" button or configure or reject their use. Consult our Cookies Policy for more information.
They allow the operation of the website, loading media content and its security. See the cookies we store in our Cookies Policy.
They allow us to know how you interact with the website, the number of visits in the different sections and to create statistics to improve our business practices. See the cookies we store in our Cookies Policy.