The determination of bridge displacement using measured acceleration

LVDT is generally used as the method for displacement measurement. But this method cannot be applied effectively if the bridge height is so high that it is difficult to install the sensor and the measured results are not as reliable and accurate. In this paper, we suggest the initial velocity estimation method for the displacement determination algorithm to overcome these problems. To verify the proposed algorithm, field tests were carried out. It is also found that the initial velocity estimation method can be effectively applied in the case of bridge displacement monitoring. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.