Final Project

Timber bridge with structural health monitoring system (SHM)

Context

My final project consists of doing a self-assembly timber bridge by robotically manufacturing small timber blocks and incorporing a structural health monitoring system. The blocks will be manufactured with joints that have self-aligning capabilities and act as hinges. Therefore, when stacking set of timber blocks together, and suspending them on air, the structure shall acquire the active form of an arch.

On the other hand, timber structures could be more susceptible to temperature and relative humidity variations than other structural systems. That’s why I want to do a low-cost SHM, which enables fully autonomous oversight and management of permanent SHM systems, incorporating diverse sensing technologies, including dynamic, static, and environmental.

Example of the idea:

Bibliography:

• Bono, F. M., Polinelli, A., Radicioni, L., Benedetti, L., Castelli-Dezza, F., Cinquemani, S., & Belloli, M. (2025). Wireless Accelerometer Architecture for Bridge SHM: From Sensor Design to System Deployment. Future Internet, 17(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.3390/fi17010029
• Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und -prüfung, (2022), Digital Twins for the Safety of Bridges, video, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReWmrbQgQLU

CAD

CNC