Monitoring der Theodor‐Heuss‐Brücke – Teil 1 – Veranlassung, Monitoringkonzept und Erkenntnisse zum Tragverhalten.

Monitoring of the Theodor‐Heuss‐bridge in Düsseldorf – part 1: motivation, monitoring concept and structural behavior findings The Theodor‐Heuss‐bridge in Düsseldorf is Germany's oldest cable‐stayed bridge and the world's first bridge with harp‐shaped cables. Since its opening in 1957, the traffic load has increased progressively. As with many other bridges with orthotropic deck slabs, this led to deterioration over time – for instance in the form of cracks. A recalculation of the structure shows significant deficits – especially with regard to fatigue in the orthotropic deck. Therefore, a monitoring system consisting of more than 80 sensors was installed on the structure in 2019 and operated for more than one year. This paper shows the development of the monitoring concept, its implementation and evaluation. Findings on the load‐bearing behavior are derived from the measurement data. A significant correlation between the fatigue loads and the temperature is found. On the one hand, the stiff asphalt layer contributes to the load transfer, on the other hand, it has a greater load distribution effect. The monitoring also shows that the influence of wheel loads dominates and that a reduction in the permissible gross vehicle weight has only a small benefit. Rather, the wheel loads must be limited in order to relieve the components of the orthotropic deck. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]