I35W collapse, rebuild, and structural health monitoring - Challenges associated with structural health monitoring of bridge systems

C. E. French, B. Hedegaard, C. K. Shield, H. Stolarski

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

During evening rush hour traffic on August 1, 2007, the major interstate highway bridge carrying I35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis catastrophically failed, tragically taking the lives of thirteen people and injuring many more. The steel truss bridge, constructed in 1967, was undergoing deck reconstruction during the collapse, and was estimated to carry more than 140,000 vehicles daily. This tragedy generated great interest in employment of structural health monitoring systems. The I35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge, a post-tensioned concrete box bridge constructed to replace the collapsed steel truss bridge, contains over 500 instruments to monitor the structural behavior. Numerical models of the bridge are being developed and calibrated to the collected data obtained from truck load tests and thermal effects. The data obtained over the first few years of monitoring are being correlated with the calibrated models and used to develop the baseline bridge behavior. This information is being used to develop a system to monitor and interpret the long-term behavior of the bridge. This paper describes the instrumentation, preliminary results from the data and model calibration, the plan for developing long-term monitoring capabilities, and the challenges associated with structural health monitoring of bridge systems. In addition, opportunities and directions for future research required to fully realize the objectives of structural health monitoring are described.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationReview of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation
Pages9-30
Number of pages22
DOIs
StatePublished - 2011
Event37th Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, QNDE - San Diego, CA, United States
Duration: Jul 18 2010Jul 23 2010

Publication series

NameAIP Conference Proceedings
Volume1335
ISSN (Print)0094-243X
ISSN (Electronic)1551-7616

Other

Other37th Annual Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, QNDE
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego, CA
Period7/18/107/23/10

Keywords

  • Assessment
  • Field Investigation
  • I35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge
  • Instrumentation
  • Maintenance
  • Structural Monitoring

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