Scour Detection Using Infrasound: A case study of the Feather River Bridge of State Highway 20 (the 10th Street Bridge) in Yuba City, CA
Abstract
Scour at bridge piers and abutments is a commonly encountered issue for both military and civil works. For bridges deemed to be scour critical, additional monitoring may be specified including additional inspections beyond law requirements, portable monitoring systems, and/or fixed monitoring systems with visual inspections as the most common. Current monitoring systems are not true remote systems in the sense that they must be installed on or near the bridge, such as around bridge piers or abutments in the channel bed or on the piers and abutments themselves, and are susceptible to damage. Ongoing studies by the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are investigating infrasound, low frequency acoustics, as a means of scour detection and assessment at bridge piers. These passive infrasound arrays can monitor structures at distances up to 25 km and greater depending on signal strength. Presented are a field study and initial results from a scour critical bridge in northern California.
How to Cite:
Whitlow, R. D. & Jordan, A. M. & McComas, S. & McKenna, M. H. & Diaz-Alvarez, H., (2014) “Scour Detection Using Infrasound: A case study of the Feather River Bridge of State Highway 20 (the 10th Street Bridge) in Yuba City, CA”, National Hydraulic Engineering Conference 2014 1(2014).
Rights: Copyright © 2014, R. Danielle Whitlow, Anna M. Jordan, Sarah McComas, Mihan H. McKenna, Henry Diaz-Alvarez
Publisher Notes
- Panel moderated by Veronica Ghelardi, FHWA.
- About the Presenters: Ms. Danielle Whitlow is a Research Civil Engineer in the Geotechnical and Structures Laboratory at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS. She completed Undergraduate Degrees in Physics and in Civil Engineering and a Master of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University. Ms. Whitlow’s career to this point has focused primarily in the area of bridges with focus on bridge assessment and repair for the military, and, more recently, the use of low frequency acoustics as a means of structural assessment. Ms. Whitlow is a registered professional engineer in the state of Mississippi and is currently pursuing a PhD in Civil Engineering.
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