Structural health monitoring of the San José Bridge

Abstract

Introduction. The San José bridge located in the city of Azogues, province of Cañar has considerable damage in your structure due to different seismological events. These damages must be analyzed to decide to repair or build a structural reinforcement. Objective. Model the bridge with structural analysis software and compare results with the reality of the structure to determine its severity of damage and decide to repair or structural reinforcement. Methodology. Model the structure and start a nonlinear static analysis to observe the critical points of the structure and compare if the real damages of the bridge arch are in the critical zones. Results. The real damage is in the critical area of ​​the bridge, resulting in the structure entering the collapse prevention zone, which is why it can be supporting only its structural weight, this state being dangerous for the users of this bridge. Conclusion. A reinforced concrete arch must be designed to reinforce the structure and to support the weight of the current structure plus the live load for which the bridge will be used.