Damage Progression of Highway Bridges and Operational Vibration-Waveforms-Phase-2

Aging highway bridges are increasingly subjected to heavy truck traffic that can exceed design load expectations and accelerate structural deterioration. Undetected overload events may contribute to localized stress concentrations, fatigue damage, and reduced service life. Current bridge monitoring approaches typically rely on periodic inspection rather than continuous operational detection of extreme loading events. This project advances a vibration-based monitoring methodology to detect, identify, and predict the weight of heavy vehicles causing extreme loading on highway bridges. Building on Phase 1 results, the research integrates multi-sensor data—including accelerometers, six-dimensional inertial sensors, strain sensors, gyroscopes, and radar-video systems—to identify overload events and correlate them with structural response and potential damage hot spots. Finite element modeling and moving-load simulations will be used to support weight estimation and validate field measurements. The methodology will be tested on single- and multi-span steel and concrete girder bridges in Iowa. The resulting system is designed to provide a practical, portable, and cost-effective approach for bridge overload detection and condition-informed decision-making.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $152,966.00
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348307

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Mid-America Transportation Center

  University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  2200 Vine Street, PO Box 830851
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68583-0851
• Project Managers:

  Bruner, Britain

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Iowa, Iowa City

  National Advanced Driving Simulator, 2401 Oakdale Blvd
  Iowa City, IA  United States  52242-5003
• Principal Investigators:

  Rahmatalla, Salam

• Start Date: 20260601
• Expected Completion Date: 20270531
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data fusion; Finite element method; Heavy duty trucks; Highway bridges; Monitoring; Oversize loads; Sensors; Structural analysis; Vibration
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Data and Information Technology; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01989959
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Mid-America Transportation Center
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348307
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: May 23 2026 6:06PM