Dynamic and quasi-static signal separation method for bridges under moving loads based on long-gauge FBG strain monitoring

Abstract

Structural health monitoring is an important means of obtaining the state information of bridges, and the extracted quasi-static strain signal can reflect the stress state of bridges directly. However, the strain signals acquired during the operation stage of bridges are dynamic, and the strain gauges used in the health monitoring system are short (no more than 10 cm), which means they are easily affected by small damage at the installation parts of bridges and thereby the monitoring signal abnormalities occur. A type of externally affixed long-gauge fiber strain gauge is used to monitor the health of bridges, and the dynamic and quasi-static signal separation method for long-gauge strain sensors is studied under different vehicle loads; at the same time, the dynamic monitoring performance of the long-gauge sensor is investigated in this paper. The quasi-static strain signal extracted from the dynamic macro-strain signal can be used to directly monitor the stress status of the bridge. The results show that the method proposed in this paper is feasible for extracting the quasi-static macro-strain from a dynamic long-gauge strain signal.