Climate change is leading to weather extremes such as temperature shifts, heavy rain and strong winds, making it more likely that precious infrastructures will be pushed to their limits. Although aging bridges are especially subject to structural decline, condition monitoring can also help to protect built assets of all kinds – ranging from wind turbines to historical monuments. The right sensors to measure parameters such as acceleration are essential to collect data that provides insights into a structure's actual condition. This is precisely the solution that was chosen for the Great Belt Bridge (“Storebæltsbroen”) in Denmark.
The section known as the East Bridge is one of the world's longest suspension bridges, with a free span of 1,624 meters and two pylons rising to 254 meters. Thanks to its vertical clearance of 65 meters, the East Bridge (“Østbroen”) is just high enough to allow today's largest cruise ships to pass underneath it.