Abstract "The goal of this multi-phase project is to unite two traditionally separate vehicle and
bridge monitoring communities for a comprehensive evaluation of transportation and
infrastructure safety. To achieve this goal, this project aims to (1) develop and validate a
standalone, wireless Internet-of-Things (IoT) vehicle and bridge monitoring system for
both collision and overstress detection, (2) deploy and calibrate the IoT system at a
highway bridge site with one type of representative trucks, (3) collect and store real-time
traffic, meteorological, structural, and vehicle data, (4) cleanse and analyze
heterogeneous data (numeric, image, audio, and video) through influence line analysis
and machine learning for the extraction of features related to vehicle safety and
infrastructure condition, and (5) develop and validate a visual mechanism to alert turck
drivers as they drive underneath or across the highway bridge. The outcomes of this
project are to mitigate collision-induced bridge damage, vehicle-related highway
fatalities and injury rates through such an integrated vehicle and bridge monitoring in
real time.
To address the first and second objectives, the scope of Phase I project includes,
but is not limited to, (a) literature survey on bridge-weigh-in-motion (BWIM) and load
tests, (b) development of a laboratory testbed of vehicle monitoring and BWIM system,
and (c) scale-up of the laboratory testbed for field installation and validation."
Description "This Phase-I project aims to (1) develop and validate a standalone, wireless IoT vehicle
monitoring and BWIM system for both collision and overstress detection and (2) deploy
and calibrate the IoT system at a highway bridge site with one type of representative
trucks. To address these objectives, the scope of work includes,
Task 1. Review and summarize the recent development on BWIM, IoT, and load
tests,
Task 2. Develop a laboratory testbed of vehicle monitoring and BWIM system, and
Task 3. Scale up the laboratory testbed for field installation and validation."
Objective "The expected outcomes of this study include an IoT system of integrated vehicle
monitoring and bridge assessment, data analytics to determine vehicle size, speed, and
weight, and a plan for future phases of the project. This study will be the first attempt to
mitigate both the vehicle collision on bridges and the bridge damage due to overloaded
trucks and bridge deterioration."
Impacts/Benefits "The developed IoT will be accessible to drivers, passengers, inspectors, and operators
in all genders and ethnicities, and potentially reduce maintenance costs by extending
the service life of bridges through real-time monitoring and accurate assessment (e.g.,
saving $8/ft2 deck area per year according to FHWA).
One student will receive training in this interdisciplinary area under an academic
advisor in civil engineering, a research engineer in computer science and engineering, a
postdoc in mechatronics and mechanical engineering, and a postdoc in information
technology. Once deployed at a bridge site, the technology can be transferred to bridge
engineers and traffic operators for their upskilling and daily routine practice."