Instrumentation for durability monitoring of a long-span cable-stayed bridge

This paper outlines the design of an instrumentation system for durability monitoring of the world's longest cable-stayed bridge - the Sutong Bridge with a central span of 1088 m. As part of the Structural Health Monitoring And Safety Evaluation System (SHMASES) for the Sutong Bridge, the durability monitoring system is designed to monitor the corrosion in reinforced concrete structures. The sensors for durability monitoring include two categories. The first category refers to the sensors to monitor the causes leading to corrosion, such as temperature and relative humidity. The second category is electrode assemblies which are used to monitor the end results of corrosion. Data from the sensory system are then periodically collected using a portable or remotely computerized data acquisition system. The collected data from this system will provide useful information on maintenance and repair of concrete structures, and are envisaged to be incorporated into the reliability-based safety evaluation system developed for the Sutong Bridge.