Field Implementation And Evaluation Of The Simple Cost Effective Scour Sensor

Bridge scour, the erosion of stream bed materials around the bridge foundation, endangers many of the bridges that cross over water. Over the years, a number of scour sensors have been developed to determine the extent of scour, especially following major floods. Many of these systems are either too complicated, expensive, or not efficient. However, it is important to ascertain the safety of bridges after major floods in an expeditious manner. Therefore, in a previous ICT study (R27-35), researchers developed a simple and highly accurate scour sensor. That initial study encompassed laboratory proof of concept tests and small scale field trials. The objective of the research outlined in this report is to implement the scour sensor in a multi-span scour critical bridge. The scope of the project included selection of the bridge; design and fabrication of the field sensors; installation of the sensors, interrogation unit, multiplexer, and remote computer for real time data acquisition; installation of a wireless internet system for remote desktop monitoring of scour; and development of software for automated calibration and user-friendly remote data acquisition; and archiving of scour history for the bridge. This report includes background information about scour in bridges and existing scour monitoring technologies. Additionally, a short summary of ICT’s earlier study to develop and experiment with the simple scour sensor concept is provided for the sake of continuity. The primary sections of the report encompass the implementation of the new scour sensing technology in a multi-span bridge in northern Illinois. This work introduces a simple concept with the potential to provide means for rapid and widespread installation of scour sensors in scour critical bridges.Illinois Department of Transportation ICT R27-71published or submitted for publicationnot peer reviewe