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Experimental Study of an Innovative Bridge Scour Sensor

Yu, Xinbao
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244145414

Abstract Details

2009, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Civil Engineering.
Scour is a major threat to the safety of bridges. Instruments for the measurement and monitoring of bridge scour are necessary to study scour processes and to support bridge management. The lack of robust and economical scour monitoring devices prevents the implementation of a bridge scour monitoring program among bridge owners. This dissertation explores the design and analyses of scour sensors using principles of Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR). The performance of a scour probe was first tested in laboratory simulated scour experiments. Three different signal analyses methods were developed to obtain the scour depth from TDR signals. Besides scour depth, additional information related to scour assessment, i.e. sediment density and electrical conductivity of water, were also determined from TDR signals. The sensing principles and analysis algorithms were validated from simulated scour tests under various conditions which are expected to be encountered in the field. The field conditions considered included: variation of sediment types, water conductivity, turbidity, air entrapment, and water elevation. These further validated the robustness of the scour sensing principles. Upon validation, a field worthy sensor was designed. The sampling area and effective measured dielectric constant were determined using a finite element analysis method. Evaluation of the sensor indicated that it was able to successfully monitor the scour processes (scour and refill) in real-time with high accuracy.
Xiong Yu (Committee Chair)
Xiangwu Zeng (Committee Member)
Adel Saada (Committee Member)
Chung-Chiun Liu (Committee Member)
182 p.
Civil Engineering
Bridge scour; Sensor; Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR); Turbulent flow; Sediment

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Yu, X. (2009). Experimental Study of an Innovative Bridge Scour Sensor [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244145414

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Yu, Xinbao. Experimental Study of an Innovative Bridge Scour Sensor. 2009. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244145414.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Yu, Xinbao. "Experimental Study of an Innovative Bridge Scour Sensor." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2009. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1244145414

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1244145414
2,218
© 2009, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.