Bridge Weigh-in-Motion: A study of hybrid sensor layout, system calibration, novel methods, and automation
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Date
2023-04
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
This thesis covers a Bridge Weigh-in-Motion (BWIM) system, instrumented with a strain gauge/accelerometer hybrid layout, case study on an overpass in Westfield, New Brunswick. This case study aims to design and deploy a functional long-term BWIM system with automated post-processing. The project is reduced to three sub-tasks: (1) selecting a bridge and determining its instrumentation; (2) evaluating and developing BWIM methods, analyzing them with calibration data, and investigating the benefit of using a hybrid sensor layout; and (3) automating the post-processing process with the appropriate error handling. The conclusions rendered from these tasks are as follows: (1) selecting an overpass bridge with on and off-ramps is ideal for BWIM installation and calibration; (2) taking advantage of the accelerometers from the hybrid system generally results in more reliable and accurate BWIM results; (3) the post-processing automation successfully identifies single-vehicle events, returns their respective gross vehicle weights, and discards erroneous data.