PSP Weigh-in-Motion Systems for Bridges

PSP specialises in advanced bridge monitoring systems for the road industry. PSP offers two products: iBWIM, a bridge weigh-in-motion system used to monitor heavy goods traffic, and iSHM, an autonomous structural health monitor that measures long term deviations from the bridge’s design.

PSP combines expertise in structural engineering and software development with excellence in electronic design. The Austrian company’s systems have been installed in Europe and Asia and have a proven track record for reliability and usability.

PSP handles the installation of the systems on the bridge and performs data analysis, providing clients with up-to-date data and reports from a web-based interface.

iBridge Weigh-in-Motion – measurement without disruption

PSP’s iBWIM system measures the speed, class and weight distribution of trucks as they cross a bridge – with no interruption to traffic flow.

The iBWIM system provides clients with a quantitative and up-to-date picture of heavy goods traffic crossing their bridge. Design requirements about the loading of the bridge and business assumptions traffic can be reviewed and maintenance plans revised. In real-time operation, traffic can be filtered for selective tolling and overloaded vehicles can be stopped.

Conventional weigh-in-motion systems use sensors embedded in the pavement. Installing the sensors involves cutting into the road surface, causing lane closures that may last weeks. In contrast, iBWIM measures the strains induced on the bridge by vehicles. Sensors are placed on the underside of the bridge, with minimal structural damage and no disruption to traffic.

iBWIM provides the engineering data and business intelligence bridge planners need, without interrupting the flow of traffic across the bridge.

iStructural Health Monitoring – sensitive, stable, independent

Over time, bridges deviate from their design geometry. These deviations are small and gradual, and measuring them requires sensitive yet stable electronic design. Furthermore, the logger must operate in locations with almost no infrastructure and where regular maintenance is virtually impossible.

PSP’s iSHM system gives clients early warning of structural changes in bridge geometry. Preventative maintenance can be applied to avoid further damage and scheduled to avoid disruption to traffic. The data from iSHM gives planners the confidence to extend the lifetime of bridges nearing their termination phase.

PSP’s proprietary sensors are designed to minimise or eliminate temperature effects and long-term drift. Our logging systems are designed for high-precision and low power consumption. They require no external power supply and can run for months on battery power and almost indefinitely when used with an additional solar cell. The only infrastructure required is mobile network coverage.

Once installed, the iSHM system monitors the sensors, caches the measurements and reports back periodically over the mobile telephone network to a remote server. The data is analysed on the server and reported on a web page, with .pdf reports compiled periodically.

PSP Systems for optimising bridge maintenance

Both the iSHM and iBWIM systems give bridge engineering and management teams critical information about the status of a bridge and the traffic it carries. They are characterised by their ease of installation, low maintenance and easy user interface. They offer bridge operators the opportunity to optimise maintenance, maximise bridge uptime and safely extend the lifetime of bridges.