New Chinese Code of Structural Health Monitoring for Large Bridges

The tittle of Fernandos PhD thesis is Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Railroad Bridges using Wireless Smart Sensors Networks. The object of this research is to develop strategies for managing railroad bridge infrastructure that will minimize expenses, while maximizing the line capacity and maintaining safe rail operations. Fernando wants to recommend how to instrument railroad bridges for safety that matches railroads needs and concerns. There are no regulations as of today in North America regarding SHM of infrastructure. China is the technology and implementation leader in SHM in the planet. The Chinese Ministry of Transportation has published the worlds first standard for SHM, but it is only available in Chinese at this moment. This past summer Fernando Moreu was an exchange student studying Chinese at the Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) under the Center of Global Studies FLAS fellowship. Invited by Prof. Li Hui from HIT, Fernando was able to become familiar with the new SHM code and also civil engineering Chinese terminology. His experience allowed him to not only benefit from the University environment, but also technical visits to bridge construction sites where he listened to field engineers about the technical difficulties related to bridge management in China.Ope