Real-Time Probabilistic Structural Evaluation of Bridges Using Dynamic Displacements Extracted via GPS Technology

Global Positioning System (GPS) technology is reported in the literature as a reasonable alternative for the structural health monitoring (SHM) of bridges. However, more validations of GPS technology must be performed to extract the associated risk of bridges, particularly applying probabilistic concepts. This paper presents a probabilistic approach to evaluating the safety of bridges using real-time dynamic displacements obtained via geodetic-grade GPS receivers. The implementation of the probabilistic approach is demonstrated by the evaluation of the serviceability condition of a real-scale bridge. The structural evaluation involved the continuous extraction of GPS displacement data over the course of 1 h at three different periods of the day from Monday to Sunday. A comprehensive probabilistic study is developed based on dynamic displacements in terms of reliability index and probability of failure. Finally, based on the findings documented in this paper, the detection of unsafe serviceability conditions of bridges is possible by integrating GPS technology and the probabilistic approach presented in this research, which may help to inform decisions about the improvement or retrofit of bridge structures.