Research On Wireless Detection System For Cables’ Tension Of Cable-stayed Bridge

Cable-stayed bridges have emerged as economical design choices compared to other long-span bridge concepts including suspension bridges. In general, cable-stayed bridges consist of one or more tall pylons from which steel cables are anchored to support the bridge deck. Monitoring cable tensions during construction of cable-stayed bridges is necessary to align cables properly and to ensure no cable is overloaded. With cables serving as the primary vertical load carrying elements of the bridge, there is a need to ensure the structural integrity of the cables well after the completion of the bridge. Furthermore, small variations in cable tension may cause a dramatic affect on the global response of other parts of the bridge including the deck and pylon. Given the importance of cables for the global integrity of a cable-stayed bridge, continuous monitoring of cables for degradation or anchorage slippage is prudent.Many methods are available for measuring the tension in a bridge cable including pressure meter method, pressure sensor method and vibration frequency method. The first two methods are direct measurement method while they are very time-consuming and costly. Meanwhile, the traditional vibration data collection is carried out based on wired communication technology which is inefficient and labor-intensive. So this paper developed a wireless sensor system based on vibration frequency method for cable tension detection.The article describes the principle of the vibration spectrum for cable tension measurement and introduces the overall structure of the wireless system and its modular design. Then experiments about cable-stayed bridge model and real bridge were carried out. The results show that the wireless sensor system can accurately measure the cable tension, so it can provide a quick and reliable solution for the cable tension detection and has a good application prospects.