This technology is a bridge deformation sensing device consisting of a bearing that absorbs shocks and vibrations between the pier and the superstructure, and a color-changing sensor coated from the bearing to the pier, which changes color when the bearing or pier deforms.
Bridge bearings are critical components that transfer loads and absorb expansion caused by earthquakes, wind, and temperature changes; failure to detect deformation in time can lead to accidents and casualties. However, conventional visual inspections rely on the inspector's subjective judgment, making it difficult to detect deformation immediately. Furthermore, attached strain gauges are limited in measurement range, prone to errors or damage, and incur high installation and maintenance costs.
This technology configures the bearing with upper and lower sole plates and an elastic pad in between, with the sensor coated continuously across the elastic pad, lower sole plate, and pier to reveal even slight misalignments through color changes. The sensor is created by reacting a diisocyanate solution with an amino-terminated polydimethylsiloxane solution, adding diacetylene to form a polymer, and polymerizing it via UV or heat to produce a polydiacetylene polymer that changes color under stress. It can be applied to highway and railway bridge bearings, piers requiring emergency post-earthquake inspection, and hard-to-reach river or marine bridge bearings, allowing inspectors to identify damage locations instantly by color change without power or measuring equipment, facilitating rapid safety diagnosis and repair.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT for the development of a durability evaluation platform for stress visualization and quantification based on stimuli-responsive polymer composites.
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