MITICA MonItoring Transport Infrastructures with Connected and Automated vehicles : final report

This technical report is produced as part of the deliverables of the exploratory research project MITICA (European Commission Joint Research Centre) which investigates innovative methods for the indirect monitoring of European bridges in line with the EU priority of "A Europe fit for the digital age". This is achieved by exploiting the technological advances in vehicles and sensors with the scope of addressing the ageing problem in the European infrastructure. In this respect, an experimental drive-by monitoring campaign is performed under laboratory-controlled conditions using a full-scale bridge-like structure of 9-meter long and a lightweight vehicle equipped with sensors. Additional sensors are installed onto the bridge specimen to provide a controlled experimental environment and offer a conventional monitoring solution for verification purposes. The signal acquisition is based on a power-autonomous wireless sensor network, enabling the maximum flexibility within the roving monitoring experimental testing. In this report, a detailed description of the MITICA experimental campaign is presented, which is divided in two broad categories: 1. The independent dynamic characterisation of the vehicle and bridge specimens (i.e., decoupled system); 2. The assessment of the dynamic event due to the vehicle-bridge interaction (i.e., coupled system) under the vehicle's stationary position on the bridge and the vehicle in motion. Experimental results are presented for representative case studies from each of the above categories, aiming to capture the broad view of the dynamic interaction between the two mechanical systems (i.e., the vehicle and the bridge). It is experimentally demonstrated that the iSHM methods are case-specific, depending on the dynamic properties of the two systems involved. In cases like MITICA where the vehicle mass is not trivial, a strong dynamic vehicle-bridge interaction occurs. It is further shown that the quality of the obtained results depends on the excitation level of the underlying structure together with the transmission level of the bridge vibration to the vehicle. The obtained research findings highlight the limitations and constraints within iSHM methods as experimentally identified, and show the direction for future work.