Bridge pier scour level quantification based on output-only Kalman filtering

Soil scour near a bridge pier foundation is one of the leading causes failures. Traditional vibration-based monitoring methods are nearly incapable quantifying levels using single acceleration response without knowledge excitation information. In this paper, new output-only level prediction method introduced via integration an unscented Kalman filter (UKF), random decrement (RD), and newly derived continuous Euler–Bernoulli beam addressing river water, traffic loads, linear nonlinear behavior sediments around as external effects. We conducted extensive simulation studies applied to existing medium-span with steel girder concrete deck in service province Manitoba, Canada. These show that our proposed can accurately estimate only accelerometer, which was validated independent bathymetric survey soil at foundation. Furthermore, three different profiles representing were also investigated case estimation process. The results confirm cubic function exhibits best performance piers.