A Most-Unfavorable-Condition Method for Bridge-Damage Detection and Analysis Using PSP-InSAR

The main contribution of this study is to provide a new idea to detect bridge damage by using PSP-InSAR technology. A most-unfavorable-condition method is proposed for bridge-damage detection and analysis. The method can determine the specific damaged location and occurrence time by using the differential deformation values of persistent scatterer (PS) points on bridge piers. Taking Beijing Suzhou Bridge as an experimental area, 96 COSMO-SkyMed time-series SAR images were used from September 2011 to November 2017. Deformation values of PS points around Suzhou Bridge were acquired and analyzed. Experimental results show that in July 2017, the unusual maximum differential deformation value was 25.73 mm. It occurred between piers D-3 and D-4 of Suzhou Bridge, and it was deduced that the main girder between piers D-3 and D-4 may have been damaged in July 2017. As a validation, taking the differential deformation value between piers D-3 and D-4 as an input, the maximum tensile stress, and the maximum compressive stress were calculated as 2.1 MPa and 8.4 MPa, respectively, through a finite element model. The tensile stress exceeded the design value of the concrete, further confirming the damage of the girder between piers D-3 and D-4. Moreover, all results are consistent with the Suzhou Bridge damage information shown in existing records, which verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method.

Automated summary

The main contribution of this study is to propose a new method for detecting bridge damage using PSP-InSAR technology. By analyzing the deformation values of persistent scatterer (PS) points, it is possible to determine the location and occurrence time of the damage. The experimental results using Beijing Suzhou Bridge verify the accuracy and reliability of the proposed method.