Monitoring the structures and bridge deck of the Laukonsilta bridge in Tampere started with a measurement solution delivered by Koherent. The Koherent positioning solution will provide the professionals responsible for the City of Tampere's bridges with millimeter-accurate measurement data 24/7 until the end of September. The cable-stayed bridge for pedestrians and bicycle traffic between Ratina Stadium and Laukontori is an essential route, for example, during various events in Tampere.
The Laukonsilta Bridge, about 100 meters long, was completed in 2010. The City of Tampere is responsible for 249 bridges; about 10 new bridges are completed annually.
"Building bridges and repairing them is demanding and expensive. We want to ensure the bridges are in the best possible condition do and not get damaged with age. We have tried different bridge monitoring techniques but have not yet found the optimal solution. Koherent’s solution is based on a new technology, and we are now testing it by monitoring the Laukonsilta bridge for three months. For example, we need information on the bridge deck's vertical movements and horizontal rotation in strong wind conditions," says Jukka Rantala, Construction Engineer at the City of Tampere.
There may be hundreds of people on the Laukonsilta Bridge simultaneously. "Several major events will be held in Tampere during the summer of 2024, which is why the timing is particularly interesting for monitoring. We can even follow the movements of the bridge in real time. The Laukonsilta bridge is an excellent monitoring target," comments Rantala. "The installation of the solution was done in a few hours. As the summer progresses, we'll know more about how it works."
Koherent’s measurement technology is based on radio interferometry used in astronomy. "We offer a new and easy way to monitor the condition and safety of bridges and large infrastructures. No other solution in the world can be used to measure the movements of bridge structures with an accuracy of up to one-tenth of a millimeter, not only in the longitudinal direction but also in the lateral direction. The professionals responsible for bridges in the City of Tampere receive accurate information on how the structures of the Laukonsilta bridge behave, for example, when there are many people on the bridge at the same time," says Kari Leppänen, Founder and CEO of Koherent.
Links to original Finnish news articles:
Aamulehti
Tamperelainen