Sensor Networks for Bridge Stability Safety Monitoring during Flood Induced Scour

Bridge Scour is the major cause of bridge collapses and some of which have resulted in loss of life in different parts of the world. Over the past half century there have been many different types of scour detection methods and systems, however these techniques are extremely heavy requiring special equipment to operate and to transport from bridge to bridge making it expensive to use for a large number of bridges. In this paper, a low-cost and continuous remote scour monitoring system using polymer fiber optic sensors (PFOSs) and MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) hardware is presented and the sensitivity and sensing capability of the PFOS system is discussed.