Our workshop is a magic place, specially for our hardware team. There is where they make sure that all the sensors integrated in different components are working correctly before “installation day”.
However, sometimes unexpected events take place that force us to adapt our plans… That is why the other day, some of our colleagues from the data analysis team had to help in the preparation of all the materials prior to installation day.
They enjoyed an immersive experience at the workshop!
The project that we were preparing consisted in the installation of bolts integrated with sensors (’smartbolts’) in a cable-stay bridge.
Built multiple years ago, the bridge needed some renovations. The intersection part of the cables from which the bridge is hanging was experiencing some wear and tear. The renovation will include installing new connecting pieces at those junction points, where today a number of design options are monitored, amongst others using SmartBolts.
Other sensors used are displacement sensors, attached to the junction points to follow-up if the housings are stable, or are prone to sliding.
What was the challenge that Zensor faced?
The leads coming out of the smartbolts were very delicate. Considering they had to be installed at >10 m height by a rope-access team in outside (windy) conditions we couldn’t assume that the install process would be soft and smooth. As such: we had to make sure that the entire setup was sufficiently robust to withstand the expected conditions. Our team decided to protect the wires with a combination of heat shrink tubes, additional embedded mechanical supports and resin in order to improve its resistance.
Eventually, the project was completed with great success and at present we are continuously monitoring the data generated by the sensors…
All in all it was an enriching experience for our colleagues to be part of the installation team for one day!