BAE testing new monitoring system for military bridges

July 25 (UPI) -- Engineers at BAE Systems are testing an integrated Bluetooth and sensing technology that continually measures the stress and strain on military bridges, the company announced on Tuesday.

The fatigue monitoring technology-- for military bridges designed to be used by tanks -- wirelessly transmits data to a handheld device, allowing soldiers to easily assess the health of the bridge, BAE Systems said.

The company explains that the service-life of rapidly deployable military bridges is based on manual records. It is difficult to judge and results in bridges being retired early or overused.

"The new technology uses a series of sensors fitted to the bridge components which undergo the most strain and records around a hundred strain-readings per second. A computer-analysis then gives a component-by-component overview of bridge health," BAE said in a press release. "BAE Systems' use of fatigue monitoring technology gives military engineers the peace of mind that their bridges remain healthy, even on extended military campaigns where bridges can remain in place for many months."

Company engineers are testing the system a company facility in Telford, which an advanced Bridge Test Facility.

"The biggest obstacle to monitoring bridge health is achieving a continuous flow of accurate data telling you what the bridge is experiencing," said John Lees, Bridging Business manager for BAE Systems Land. "Simply monitoring the number of crossings -- as most military users do now -- doesn't give an accurate picture. Our new solution monitors and analyzes all of these variables to give a real-time, accurate assessment of bridge condition."

BAE Systems designed and manufactured the British Army's rapidly deployable military bridging system, the BR90, in the 1990s.