Bridge-building machine monitoring system: A scientific and technological tool for intelligent protection of bridge construction safety

With the rapid development of transportation infrastructure construction in our country, as the core equipment of bridge construction, the safety of bridge-building machines is directly related to the progress of the project and the safety of the lives of construction personnel. In recent years, the losses caused by accidents such as the overturning and loss of control of the bridge-building machine have been shocking-according to data from the Ministry of Emergency Management, there will be 37 major accidents in the field of bridge construction in the country in 2022, of which more than 60% are related to bridge-building equipment operating errors or mechanical failures. In this context, the monitoring system of the bridge-building machine came into being, becoming an ”intelligent guard” to protect the safety of bridge construction.

What are the key parameters that the bridge-building machine monitoring system mainly monitors?

A complete set of bridge-building machine monitoring system is like installing ”eyes” and ”brains” on the equipment. The key data it tracks in real time include: weight parameters (lifting weight, lifting load, cumulative load), geometric parameters (cart travel, trolley travel, lifting height, cantilever pitch angle), environmental parameters (wind speed, temperature, humidity) and equipment status (level, outriggers).Pressure, electrical system status). Taking the WTM series monitoring system developed by Micro technology as an example, it uses military-grade sensors with a weight monitoring accuracy of up to 0.5% and an angle measurement accuracy of 0.1 degrees, which far exceeds the requirements of industry standards. These data are aggregated to the main control screen of the cab in real time through the Internet of Things technology, and the operator can grasp the panoramic status of the equipment at a glance.

What are the specific benefits of installing a bridge-building monitoring system?

The benefits of installing a monitoring system far exceed the input cost. The first is the most direct safety guarantee-the system can issue an early warning 0.5 seconds before the occurrence of dangerous conditions such as overload, partial load, and wind speed overrun, and can start automatic braking within 0.1 seconds. During the construction of a special bridge in the Yangtze River, the system successfully warned of the risk of imbalance caused by a sudden wind, and avoided a possible equipment overturning accident. The second is economic benefits. According to statistics, the average downtime of bridge-building machines with monitoring systems is reduced by 45%, and the equipment utilization rate is increased by 30%. Finally, the management efficiency is improved. The construction report automatically generated by the system can accurately measure the time-consuming and energy consumption of each hoisting link, and provide data support for the lean management of the project.

What are the common faults of the bridge-building machine monitoring system? How to solve it?

Common faults are mainly concentrated in three major areas: sensor drift, signal transmission interruption, and power fluctuation. Sensor drift is mostly caused by long-term vibration, which can be solved by regular calibration (it is recommended to calibrate on-site once a month); signal transmission problems are usually caused by interference in the field environment, and the use of shielded twisted pair wires and industrial-grade wireless transmission modules can effectively deal with them; power fluctuations need to be equipped with a wide voltage regulator (adapt to 300V-480V voltage fluctuations).). It is worth mentioning that modern monitoring systems already have self-diagnosis functions. For example, the fault code base of the micro-special system contains 127 fault types, which can guide maintenance personnel to quickly locate the problem. In a bridge project in Guizhou last year, the system independently diagnosed the problem of poor contact with the angle sensor, and pushed specific replacement steps in the maintenance manual, compressing the maintenance time from 3 hours to 40 minutes.

What is the approximate price of the bridge-building machine monitoring system? How to choose the right product?

The price range of the monitoring system is large, the simple system is about 80,000-150,000 yuan, and the high-end intelligent system can reach 300,000-500,000 yuan. When choosing, you need to pay attention to: sensor accuracy (weight error≤1%, angle error≤0.2°), protection level (the main equipment should reach IP67), certification qualification (special equipment manufacturing license must be obtained), remote function (support 4G/5G multi-network backup) and other indicators. It is recommended to choose a service provider with more than 15 years of industry experience like Weite. The system developed by it has been running stably on 3,000+ domestic bridge-building machines. Remember to avoid simply pursuing low prices. A project department once purchased a cheap system of 60,000 yuan, but as a result, data drifted during the critical construction period, resulting in downtime and rectification across the board, and the loss far exceeded the equipment price difference.

What national standards or industry specifications does the bridge-building machine monitoring system need to meet?

Mandatory standards mainly include: "GB/T 3811-2008 crane Design Specifications", "JB/T 1306-2008 Bridge Safety Monitoring System", "GB/T 28264-2017 Lifting Machinery Safety Monitoring and Management System". The most important of these is the "Acceptance Requirements for Lifting Machinery Safety Monitoring and Management System" issued by the State Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, which clearly stipulates that the system must have real-time monitoring, hazard early warning, data storage (save at least 30 days of original data), video linkage and other functions. The newly revised industry specification in 2023 also adds a remote supervision interface standard, which requires the system to reserve a data docking channel with the government supervision platform.

How can the data of the bridge-building machine monitoring system be remotely transmitted and viewed?

The modern monitoring system adopts the ”edge computing + cloud platform" architecture. In the field, data is aggregated to the local industrial computer through an industrial switch; for remote transmission, the dual redundancy mode of 4G/5G and wired network is used to ensure that communication can still be maintained in mountainous areas with weak signals. Managers can view real-time data through computer websites or mobile apps. For example, the ”bridge Cloud” platform developed by Weite supports multi-level rights management. The project director can view the status of all equipment, while the team leader only sees the data of the equipment in charge. During the construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bridge, the construction Command monitored 32 bridge-building machines at the same time through a remote platform, setting a record of 200 coordinated hoisting operations in a single day.

Can the old bridge-building machine be equipped with a monitoring system? Is it difficult to transform?

Most of the old equipment can be intellectually retrofitted. The core of the transformation lies in the installation of sensors and the upgrading of the electrical system: the weight sensor is installed in a clamp type to avoid cutting the structure; the inclination sensor is fixed by a magnetic base; and the electrical system adopts an independent power supply mode to reduce interference with the original equipment. Experienced service providers can complete a full set of retrofits within 7 days. For example, the 2008 bridge-building machine of a road and bridge company in Hubei has not only met the requirements of the new national standard after micro-special transformation, but also realized the remote monitoring function of the mobile phone APP. It should be noted that the structural safety assessment of the equipment must be carried out by a professional organization before the transformation to ensure that the installation of sensors will not affect the strength of the main steel structure.

Professional advice on purchase and use

When choosing a monitoring system, we must adhere to the ”three-step verification method”: first look at the manufacturer's qualification (the special equipment manufacturing license must be verifiable); second, check on-site cases (more than 3 similar project cases are required); third, test the effectiveness of the function (on-site test overload protection response speed). It is recommended to give priority to brands that provide ”free lifetime upgrade” services, because national standards are constantly being updated. During the use process, a ”daily inspection-weekly calibration-monthly verification” system should be established: daily inspection of sensor connection status; weekly calibration of key parameters; monthly verification of data integrity.

Future development trends

The monitoring system of the bridge-building machine is evolving in the direction of ”intelligent prediction and independent decision-making”. The application of 5G technology will reduce data transmission delays to milliseconds; artificial intelligence algorithms can learn equipment characteristics through historical data and predict potential failures in advance; digital twin technology can build equipment images in a virtual space to achieve fault simulation and preventive maintenance. With the in-depth implementation of the "Made in China 2025" strategy, intelligent monitoring systems will become the standard configuration of bridge-building machines, providing a solid guarantee for the high-quality development of the bridge construction industry.