Monitoring, instrumentation and geometric control of the Treng Treng Kay Kay Bridge | Chile

Oversee construction and operation of a new suspension bridge

As part of the project to build the Treng Treng Kay Kay suspension bridge in Temuco (Chile), Freyssinet was appointed to lay and tension the bridge’s stay cables and install instrumentation on the structure during the construction phase, and then for the first five years of its operation.

Freyssinet subcontracted the instrumentation to Sixense for a turnkey service including:

• design
• installation
• configuration
• commissioning
• data processing and monitoring
• management of the database for five years

A complementary monitoring and testing system

The designed solution delivers in three areas:

• Geometric inspection: installation of two robotic total stations and 54 topographic prisms
• Total static testing of the structure’s stay cables, deck and piers
• Total dynamic testing of the structure’s stay cables, deck and piers

Testing of the structure is divided into two phases:

• During construction of the structure
• During the first five years of operation

The bridge structure’s various components are tested and inspected as follows:

• The stay cables are monitored by load gauges, temperature sensors for static testing and triaxial accelerometers for dynamic testing
• The deck is monitored by temperature probes, displacement sensors for static testing, accelerometers and two inclinometers for dynamic testing
• The piers are monitored by temperature sensors, inclinometers for static testing and accelerometers for dynamic testing
• The ground is monitored by a triaxial accelerometer for dynamic testing

Continuous topographic control, with two robotic total stations located upstream and downstream of the structure, completes the bridge’s general testing system.

The customer was provided with two data management platforms to view all readings. These allow the customer to view the structure’s movements during the tensioning work and subsequently, during the structure’s operational phase.