Design, Construction and Deployment of a Compact, Robust Field Data Acquisition System for Structural Field Monitoring

The portable field data acquisition system consists of four components: datalogger, Wheatstone bridges, multiplexers, and portable computer. The data acquisition system fulfills the role of a portable, self-powered measurement device necessary for structural field monitoring and will also serve as a measurement platform for future field tests conducted by the University of Pittsburgh.To better illustrate the capabilities of the field data acquisition system, an application is illustrated using the Boyer Bridge research project in Butler County.The Boyer Bridge over the Slippery Rock Creek in PennDOT Engineering District 10-0 has recently received a new fiber-reinforced polymer deck as part of an overall bridge replacement project. In order to quantify the composite action of the deck, effective width factor and live load distribution factors, the Boyer Bridge is instrumented with thirty strain gages and monitored with the portable field data acquisition system.Field-testing of the Boyer Bridge over the Slippery Rock Creek in PennDOT Engineering District 10-0 consists of static loads applied by a test vehicle to the deck and measuring strain responses. To date, two field tests have been performed on the Boyer Bridge. An examination of each stringer's strain profile from the CR23x datalogger reveals a very close agreement to expected behavior. From multiple tests performed at the same load position, it is evident that the CR23x's strain measurements exhibit excellent repeatability, while verification tests performed in the laboratory show good linearity.