Dynamic Monitoring of the Vespucci Bridge in Florence

project start

November 1, 2018

Services

Bridge Monitoring

Sensors

Dynamic Displacement Sensor
Measures structural displacements with high sampling rates under dynamic loads.
Accelerometers
Measures high-resolution triaxial acceleration and frequencies for modal analysis.
Gateway
Collects sensor data and transmits it to the cloud via LoRaWAN.

Dynamic Monitoring of the Vespucci Bridge in Florence

Overview

The Vespucci bridge is one of the central bridges of Florence that allows you to join the San Frediano district to the rest of the city, separated by the Arno river. It is a structure in c.a.p. arch divided into 3 spans, with an overall length of 162m. Designed by Riccardo Morandi and built between 1954-1957, suffers from deterioration of the concrete, like many works of the time. This deterioration has affected the two piers even more markedly, especially the one on the left (San Frediano side) due to the erosion of the riverbed by the currents of the Arno river. This structural deterioration required continuous monitoring and safety works.

The monitoring system, designed for the bridge in question, provided for the use of a dynamic sensor package:
Vertical DECK sensors positioned at the centerline of each span, as shown in the figure, allow the measurement of the maximum oscillation amplitude, frequencies and temperature.
Triaxial Accelerometers, positioned on the 2 stacks, allow, with a high resolution and reliability, to measure the acceleration in the 3 axes caused by external events such as traffic and works.

The objective of the monitoring is to constantly analyze the fundamental parameters to establish the state of health of the bridge as a whole both in the renovation phase and in the daily traffic. During the monitoring period, a comparison test with radar interferometry was carried out with Prof. Pieraccini of the University of Florence, from whom the article “Bridge Monitoring using geophones: test and comparison with interferometric radar” which was published at DAMAS2019 (Damage Assessment of Structures) in Porto, Portugal.

Other case studies

Bridge monitoring

Transforming bridge safety with real-time structural health monitoring in West Virginia

West Virginia is home to numerous bridges in need of closer oversight, with nearly 1 in 5 identified as requiring targeted structural improvements.

Huntington, USA

Read case study

Historic Buildings Monitoring

Monitoring a Historic Windmill Undergoing Repair Works

At the beginning of 2022, the SPAB and their Mills Section started a repair project at Kibworth Harcourt Mill, an outstanding historic post mill at Kibworth Harcourt in Leicestershire. Most of its structure dates back to 1711 or earlier and its interior is covered with graffiti of millers who worked there in the past. It is a Grade II listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. Kibworth Mill is the last survivor out of the 211 post mills in Leicestershire, which makes it an important part of local and national milling heritage.

Leicestershire, UK

Read case study

Bridge Monitoring

Tilt and Vibration Monitoring of a Railway Bridge

The bridge located on the Scrivia river, one of the arteries of the homonymous valley, is a structure all about 160 meters long and is divided into 7 spans with lowered arches, in reinforced concrete. Built-in the early 1900s, it served as a road and rail bridge for years. In 1980 the extension of the bridge over the Scrivia (structure in reinforced concrete with slab and beams) was carried out and also a shift of the railway network to its own site, thus splitting the two uses. To monitor the health of the bridge, a wireless sensor network was installed consisting of DECK to monitor displacement and Triaxial Tiltmeter to monitor the inclination of the […]

Casella, Genoa, Italy

Read case study

Construction Site Monitoring

Monitoring a Construction Site to Provide Rail Access to the Depot

As part of the Transport for Wales rail system, a rolling stock depot was built at Taffs Well which required a bridge to connect it to the rail station. Before building the new bridge a sheet pile wall had to be installed in order to retain earth and other filling material during piling activities. The monitoring system provided by Move Solutions through one of their UK supplier, Korec Group, collects real-time data of the sheet pile wall, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The aim is to identify any changes in the behaviour and position of the wall so as to avoid structural failure after its removal.

Taff's Well, UK

Read case study