HPI - Civil Applications: Bridges

The bonded weldable strain gage offers a means for making precision strain measurements in extreme field environments over relatively long periods of time. The gages can be installed by less skilled personnel than bonded strain gages and can be installed during inclement weather. The pre-packaged strain gage concept makes reliable experimental strain data available to architects and civil engineers who might have a difficult time bonding and wiring strain gages in extreme environments.

HIGHWAY BRIDGE LOAD MONITORING

Road damage caused by overloading logging trucks prompted the Dept.of Transportation in the state of Maine to compile data on the frequency and magnitude of truck overloads. A single span highway bridge on a major truck route was instrumented using bonded weldable strain gages. A tension/compression full bridge was installed at mid span on each of eight girders. Lead wires were brought out through conduit to an instrumentation van parked at the end of the bridge. The gages were installed on a very cold, rainy, late fall day by two people supported by the state highway crew with a bucket truck. Total installation time was five hours for eight full strain gage bridges. This included surface preparation and cable routing time. This test program is planned for two years duration, however, typical data taken on a x-y plotter is shown in diagram at right. Similar projects have been performed by other state DOT.

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This page was updated on:3/3/2006