Development of an Advanced Structural Monitoring System for Fracture Critical Steel Bridges
Principal Investigator:
Arturo Schultz, Professor, Civil Engineering
Project Summary:
This study seeks to enhance bridge health monitoring technologies so that they can provide measures of structural health and give advanced warning of distress in fracture-critical steel bridges. Such bridges, while non-redundant, are not inherently unsafe. However, they often require increased frequency of inspections as they age. Bridge health monitoring offers the potential for identification of structural distress that, in extreme cases, may be a precursor to bridge failure. Current distress-warning technologies for bridges are triggered by collapse and don't provide the opportunity for inspection or repair.
This project will apply the evaluation criteria that are currently being developed for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) in order to select a health-monitoring system for fracture-critical bridges. In consultation with Mn/DOT staff, researchers will select a fracture-critical tied arch bridge for use in this project. The team will adapt existing equipment and software to provide measures of structural health in the selected fracture-critical bridge. The system will be able to warn of structural distress.
Sponsor:
Project Details:
- Start date: 06/2009
- Project Status: Active
- Research Area: Infrastructure
- Topics: Bridges and Structures