Case study: use of SHM to support bridge assessment, maintenance and operation

The assessment of infrastructure conditions is at present a topic of great interest and importance, as well as great challenge. This paper presents a case study of the Samuel De Champlain Bridge (Montreal, QB, Canada), an outstanding stay cable bridge equipped with a comprehensive monitoring system (SHM). Among other SHM features, particular attention was paid to implementation of a strategic corrosion monitoring system. This paper intends to describe the concept design, implementation and data interpretation. Here corrosion sensors have been embedded during construction stage to monitor long term evolution of key electro‐chemical parameters for controlling deterioration of materials. Furthermore, these sensors measure stray current interference generated from the rail system that can cause corrosion. In both cases, abnormal values would warn the owner of the associated increased risk of corrosion. This gives them the possibility to take corrective measures to protect the structure before corrosion becomes a serious threat.