MEMS-Based Sensors for Bridge Scour Monitoring System Development

Scour of bridge piers, abutments, and foundations have been a worldwide issue concerning many countries, particularly Taiwan. To address this critical issue, bridge scouring monitor and early-warning measurement are urgently needed. By integrating Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS)-based sensing technology and hydrological inspection instruments, this study developed a real-time scour monitoring system and then conducted an empirical field investigation by deploying this monitoring system at a traffic bridge site. In situ monitoring data retrieved from two typhoon-induced flood events were analyzed. The analytical results verified the system’s capability to identify the scour development and deposition processes, indicate the maximum scour depth and deposition height and reveal a correlation between the flood intensity and the responses of the scour monitoring sensors. Therefore, the developed scour monitoring system and associated analytical approaches provide a reliable real-time scour monitoring means to ensure bridge safety. Moreover, the analytical results render a database for further hydraulic studies and bridge structural modeling analyses to realize scour depth prediction and bridge safety assessment in an arbitrary flood event.