Deployment and Validation of Low-Cost Wireless Sensors for Real-Time Lifeline Conditions Assessment

The Pacific Northwest is at risk for significant seismic and tsunami events, which are capable of severely damaging lifeline transportation infrastructure, particularly bridges. As the bridges in the United States age and begin to show signs of fatigue, the risk for severe damage increases. Proper monitoring and inspection of bridges is becoming increasingly important as bridges age, especially with the high likelihood of a significant seismic event. Structural health monitoring systems can be used to evaluate the condition of bridges throughout the area, and to quickly determine the state of lifeline bridges after a disaster. With technology advancing rapidly and making widespread monitoring possible, there exists a gap between the monitoring systems and the interpretation and presentation of recorded data. A framework needs to be developed to relay useful information to bridge owners and decision makers based on sensor readings. Numerical models of eight prototype bridges typical to the region were developed using the OpenSees FEA package. The numerical models were subject to a suite of ground motions to simulate the demands anticipated in the Pacific Northwest. The damage state of the bridges were compared to metrics that were measurable by using wireless bridge sensors. Recommendations were developed to permit wireless sensor data to be related to bridge performance.Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium Oregon State Universit