Kistler fills in the health data gap for bridges
24/10/2025
Kistler, based in Switzerland, has said that its bridge health monitoring, combined with its weigh-in-motion (WIM) systems, keeps an eye on vibration, strain, traffic load, wind effect and much more. With its new cloud-based software platform, Kistler now offers complete bridge structural health monitoring (SHM), from sensor to data, in combination with WIM systems.Kistler claims that its solutions use enhanced software functions for automated monitoring and alerting in the event of damages. In this way, the overall bridge performance is thoroughly assessed using site-specific information, enabling targeted interventions to enhance bridge condition and extend service life.
There are numerous parameters to consider for a comprehensive structural assessment, such as vibration, strain, traffic load, wind and many more, but determining and monitoring the structural condition of a bridge is very difficult using only visual inspection, which is also often carried out at long intervals.
 | ||
| Kistler’s cloud-based software platform offers complete bridge SHM |
Kistler states that its WIM technology is fully integrated into its SHM system in order to monitor traffic 24/7 and automatically determines axle and vehicle loads with high accuracy at any speed without disrupting traffic. Key traffic data is captured and made easily available on the SHM data platform, with information such as vehicle loads, overloaded vehicles and cumulated traffic loads passing the bridge. The result is a perfectly synchronised dataset for the most advanced evaluation of the structural parameters of the bridge in combination with real traffic data.
All data is available anytime, anywhere, from the Kistler Cloud. Additionally, the cloud-based software platform offers a variety of special features that benefit bridge operators: notifications and alarms deliver immediate information when conditions change or defined thresholds are exceeded. Triggers can be set to easily collect relevant datasets in case of special events, called event-based triggering, or on a regular basis, called time-based triggering.
“Our SHM and WIM systems ensure the collection of a comprehensive, robust, highly accurate and synchronised dataset, measuring all actions and resistances on the bridge,” said David Cornu, Head of Traffic Solutions at Kistler. “This allows for a direct comparison of the bridge’s capacity with the effective loads, providing an accurate insight into its overall performance.”
Kistler engineers will also assist with infrastructure assessment, system design, installation and operation in order to set up a customised SHM solution.
