Sensored Elastomeric Bridge Bearing and its Application

A prototype of sensored bridge bearing was developed, fabricated, tested and planned to be applied in two bridge structures for sensing and monitoring of construction process and service condition. Besides, numerical modeling of the prototype was performed using the finite element method with ABAQUS, and meanwhile the testing results were calibrated. Numerical simulation results of the selected two bridge structures show that certain bearing reactions are sensitive to the interested behaviors and performances. This kind of sensored bearing is considered feasible for monitoring construction, damage scenario, and applied loads.