ANNEX D

Cleveland Electric Laboratories

Examples of bridge instrumentation installations

®

Rock Island Arsenal Bridge, Illinois

The historic Rock Island Arsenal Bridge was built in 1896, at the same location as an 1872

structure and using the same piers. Upper and lower decks of the swinging structure carry rail

and road traffic over the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa.

Automated structural health monitoring is applied to the swing truss. Optical sensors provide

primary monitoring of structural health and bridge life. The system features solar power and

satellite communications. Examples of instrumentation displays provided by CEL’s IntelliOptics

software and a summary of sensor locations are shown below.

Chiapas Bridge, Mexico

The Chiapas Bridge ("Puente Chiapas") was inaugurated in December 2003. The bridge is 1,208

meters long, 10 meters wide, and has two driving lanes. It crosses the Nezahualcoyotl Lake in

southern Mexico. This connection between Veracruz and Chiapas reduces the travel time

between Mexico City and Chiapas by 3.5 hours.

The purpose of the sensor system installation is to monitor the integrity and behavior of the bridge structure in response to high traffic and heavy truck loads that could cause damage and fatigue. The optical sensing system is solar-powered and provides long-term monitoring of strain and temperature at 16 different sections along the full length of the bridge span. A total of 97 points are monitored (72 strain sensors, with 25 temperature compensation sensors), with data transmitted to a remote monitoring site via satellite. Collected data also help determine strain variations, vibrations and expansion effects as a function of time of day, seasons and traffic. An illustration of some of the sensor locations on the Chiapas Bridge is shown below.

I-20 Bridge at Vicksburg, Mississippi

The I-20 bridge is on the main corridor between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Louisiana. A railroad

bridge parallels the I-20 bridge. The bridges are frequently struck by barges, and there is a nearby

moving fault line that could jeopardize this river crossing over time.

The purpose of the monitoring system installation is to help classify the I-20 bridge for load

capacity due to its extremely heavy truck loads, to monitor any ground movement or seismic

activity, and to operate cameras to monitor traffic conditions and barge impacts. The system

configuration includes the following:

• 52 strain sensors

• 25 temperature sensors

• 10 3D accelerometers

• 4 A-36 corrosion sensors

• 1 corrosion coupon rack

• 3 cameras

• Security pier hatch door sensor

• 1 optical panel security system

• Satellite backup and DSL communications

• 8 tilt meters

• 8 long displacement sensors

• Weather station

• 1 optical pressure sensor to determine water depth.

Barge collision with Vicksburg Bridge

An overall view of the sensor locations on the Vicksburg Bridge is shown below.

Portageville Bridge, New York

The Portageville Bridge spans the Genesee River Gorge in western New York. The structure was

built in 1875 and carries heavy railroad loads. The purpose of the sensor installation was to

continuously monitor the integrity and behavior of the bridge, and to provide advance warning

of possible problem areas due to heavy loading of passing trains. A new bridge is planned, and

information from the monitoring system has been used to help inform decision-making on the

schedule for construction of the new bridge. The system includes the following components:

• 74 strain sensors

• 22 temperature compensation sensors

• 1 single-axis accelerometer

• SM125 interrogator

• 16 channel multiplexer

• Environmental control cabinet

A diagram of the bridge layout is shown on the following page.

Below is shown an overall view of the sensor locations on the Portageville Bridge.

Indian River Inlet Bridge, Delaware

The Indian River Inlet Bridge (officially the Charles W. Cullen Bridge) is a cable-stayed bridge in

Delaware. The bridge carries four lanes of traffic over the Indian River Inlet which connects Indian

River Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge is 2,600 feet (790m) long and 107.66 feet (32.81m)

wide, with a span of 950 feet (290m) and an overhead clearance of 45 feet (14m). Construction

began in 2008, and the bridge was opened in January 2012.

An optically-based structural monitoring system was embedded in the bridge during construction

to provide baseline information upon bridge opening for later comparison during bi-annual

inspections, and to continuously monitor performance. The system includes internal strain

measurement sensors, deck and cable accelerometers, tilt meters, and joint displacement

sensors to evaluate effects of age, weather events and other unforeseen events. The system also

incorporates cameras that are tied to sensor readings, enabling remote monitoring by DelDOT

personnel for structural and security purposes. System components include the following:

• 68 strain sensors with temperature compensation

• 3 expansion joint displacement sensors with 24-inch stroke

• 9 single-axis optical tilt meters

• 10 uniaxial optical accelerometers

• 17 biaxial optical accelerometers

• 10 corrosion chloride penetration sensors - both conventional and optical

• 2 anemometers

• Lightning and power surge equipment protection

• A to D converters to carry anemometer information to control panel

• Project video: see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70nDMqqQPro

Examples of some FBG sensors installed on the Indian River Bridge are shown above and below.

Chulitna Bridge, Alaska

The Chulitna Bridge comprises part of the only main highway to Denali National Park in Alaska.

Given the extreme weather conditions and earthquakes, the purpose of the monitoring system

installation is to maintain safety and to help classify the bridge ratings by providing continuous

monitoring data over many years. Due to the extreme cold, optical sensors are the only sensor

type that will survive in this harsh environment. The monitoring system provides strain

measurements to assess effects of heavy loads, and includes accelerometers and tilt meter joint

displacement sensors to assess effects of weather and seismic events on support rocker arms.

The system also incorporates a camera that is used by ADOT personnel for remote monitoring of

structural and security issues. System components or features include the following:

• 40 strain sensors with on board temperature compensation

• 8 rosettes consisting of 24 strain sensors using Mohr’s Circle calculations

• 5 wire displacement sensors

• 6 single-axis optical tilt meters

• 5 single-axis accelerometers

• 17 biaxial accelerometers

• 1 control panel PC

• 1 camera

• Local seismic web page

• Local web site page

This monitoring system features an

instrumentation control panel remotely

located two miles from the bridge,

linked using existing dark fiber.