A new sensor to detect erosion of riverbeds and banks which can cause bridge collapse has been developed by a Queen’s University Belfast (QUB) researcher.
The erosion, known as “scour”, is regarded as the leading cause worldwide of major structural failure of bridges.
One recent example was the bridge collapse in Malahide, north Dublin, in 2009.
QUB researcher Dr Myra Lydon, who has been working on a sensor since last year to tackle the problem, says an initial prototype has been developed in partnership with Somni Solutions Ltd, and testing is now complete.
She hopes it will be in place on a Northern Ireland bridge this summer. After further research, there will be a wider rollout of the sensor, she says.
“In 2019 it was estimated that within the UK an average of 8.2 million passenger journeys are lost annually due to the risk of bridge scour, with an associated economic cost of £60 million,” Dr Lydon says.
“In 2009, we witnessed catastrophic bridge failure in Malahide, Co Dublin where scour failure occurred suddenly,” she says.
“With scour, there is often no prior visible sign of distress to structure. In Malahide, the bridge was inspected just weeks prior to its collapse and had passed inspection but then failed seconds after a full passenger train crossed. Thankfully it narrowly avoided the catastrophe,” she adds.
“The sensor that we have developed detects changes in the riverbed prior to the damage occurring on the bridge. This can provide an early warning, which undoubtedly is safer and helps to prevent widespread bridge failures when we are faced with extreme climate events, such as flooding,” she explains.
Dr Lydon is working with the Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure to identify a suitable bridge test site.
The sensor will be installed along with other structural health monitoring equipment to ensure the safety of ageing bridges, QUB says.
The project has been funded by UK Research and Innovation’s Impact Acceleration Accounts, while Invest NI has provided additional funding for market exploration.
