Structural Health Monitoring of Bridges: From Research to Practice

Mission Statement/Objectives

Scope & Limitation

The TG shall primarily look into the promising methodologies to transit SHM from research to practice, with real-world applications from around the world. Special attention will be given to success stories related to field SHM.

In particular, the TG scope is:

• Knowledge integration: Consolidate state-of-the-art and emerging SHM technologies (sensors, data-driven methods, digital twins, AI).
• Practice-oriented applications: Focus on bridges and large-scale civil infrastructure, addressing lifecycle management, resilience, and climate adaptation.
• Methodological frameworks: Promote standardized approaches for data acquisition, feature extraction, statistical/AI modeling, and decision support.
• Policy and practice: Contribute to IABSE’s role in transferring SHM from research to practical implementation in engineering codes, guidelines, and asset management systems.
• Capacity building: Support training, workshops, and dissemination activities for engineers and students globally.

Limitations.

The group will not develop commercial SHM products or endorse proprietary solutions. Pilot implementations and field projects are beyond its direct scope (though case studies may be documented). The focus is on civil infrastructure (bridges, tunnels, buildings, dams, wind turbine towers), not aerospace or mechanical SHM. The group will operate within the volunteer capacity of its members, emphasizing knowledge exchange rather than consultancy.

Expected Project Output

The Task Group proposes to deliver the following results:

• Organization of short courses and webinars on SHM at IABSE events for researchers and practitioners, emphasising correct interpretation of data and practical installation guidance.
• An IABSE Structural Engineering Document (SED) providing best practice guidelines for SHM of bridges, with recommendations for integrating SHM into design, construction, and asset management workflows but also recommendations on instrumentation purpose, application, installation, data management, and case study compendium.
• Coordinate the writing of two technical articles for the Structural Engineering International (SEI) journal and magazine.

Start Date: March 1, 2026
Target Date of Completion: February 28, 2030

Chair

Eloi Figueiredo, Portugal

Vice Chair
Sachin Ravjee, South Africa

Members

Ionut Moldovan

Jonatas Valença

José Campos e Matos

Luca Pelà

Luís Oliveira Santos

Luke Prendergast

Marek Salamak

Maria Limongelli

Michael H. Faber

Mihai Nedelcu

Pier F. Giordano

Roland Kromanis

Semih Gonen

Xinxin Zhang

Ye Xia

Elsabe Kearsley

Johan Kotzé

Phillip Bettencourt

Eduan Heinrich Grobler

Amé Kleynhans

Richart Ross

Sarah Skorpen