A Real-Time Ice Warning System Empowered by Dielectric Ice Sensors for Bridges

Highway bridges freeze before roads because they lack thermal insulation underneath. Black ice on the bridge decks causes more weather-related deaths and injuries each year than all other severe weather events combined. This project developed a novel real-time active ice warning system for bridge decks. The system includes a sensor that uses the dielectric constant of the surface media to determine the pavement surface condition by time domain reflectometry (TDR). An automatic algorithm was developed for signal analysis and a control module to activate the warning lights when ice or the potential of ice is present. The system is integrated with the National Weather Service (NWS) feed to activate the system when specified weather parameters are met. After the design, fabrication, testing, and optimization of the TDR probe sensors, initial testing was done under controlled conditions inside a freezer box. Integration with the NWS weather feed was accomplished by designing an activation program that would collect input parameters from the user to define the location of the system and the program to be run. The system is equipped with remote access that is secure and reliable via a router and static IP address. Automatic analysis of the signal was established using a C++ script for parsing data in combination with Selenium Python for automated waveform data download. Dielectric constant and surface temperature parameters were determined by analyzing phase diagrams created using controlled testing data. The warning system prototype, consisting of the developed sensor, automated TDR signal analysis with NWS data trigger, and the lighted warning sign, was installed in the field at a site on the Oregon Institute of Technology campus for testing over the winter season. Several successful demonstrations of the warning system were performed, indicating its reliability and the methodology of TDR for characterizing pavement surface conditions.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5386

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $135,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 20-30, IDEA 239

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators

  4301 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400
  Arlington, VA  United States  22203

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Jawed, Inam

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Texas at Arlington

  ,    
• Principal Investigators:

  Yu, Xinbao

• Start Date: 20220701
• Expected Completion Date: 20241231
• Actual Completion Date: 20241231

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Dielectric properties; Flashing beacons; Ice; Pedestrian areas; Real time information; Sensors; Warning systems
• Identifier Terms: Texas Department of Transportation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Environment; Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors; Terminals and Facilities;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01851215
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 20-30, IDEA 239
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jul 11 2022 5:33PM