Page 7 - NovDec2021 Vol39No5

the total costs of a typical concrete bridge of researchers to work with IACMI and Tennessee projects was pictured on the
and one using an FRP bridge deck. We the bridge project team to equip the May/June 2021 cover of Tennessee Public
will share the case study framework new FRP bridge deck with high-density Works Magazine.
and results with federal, state and local fiber optic sensors and a state-of-the-art That previous TDOT project called for
officials, transportation departments and wireless sensor module system. Working multiple retaining walls in the widening
the civil engineering community so FRP together, this technology monitors the of State Route 29 near Harriman. Neel-
composites will be more of a ‘known’ to composite bridge deck system while in Shaffer’s William H. (Henry) Pate, P.E.,
them,” Unser said. service. who designed those TDOT retaining
Unser said the next-generation The high-density fiber optic sensors walls, then became Engineer of Record
composites bridge deck design already has and fiber Bragg grating sensors were for this Morgan County composite bridge
been tested in Oklahoma and Missouri, developed by Luna Innovations project.
with those trials providing a greater Incorporated, out of Roanoke, Virginia. A Pate and the firm subsequently provided
understanding of the bridge’s strength single 10-meter sensor can provide strain the Morgan County bridge project with
properties and confidence in the long- from mechanical loading or thermal/ civil and structural engineering and
lasting, low-maintenance design. hygroscopic loading from thousands of other crucial expertise, including vital
Dayakar Penumadu, the Fred N. locations simultaneously with exceptional project details and design regarding the
Peebles Professor in the Tickle College precision. composite bridge abutments and support
of Engineering and Characterization The bridge is being called a “smart beams.
Fellow for Materials and Processing group bridge” by local road and Morgan County “We pulled together a unique team
for IACMI, said that lack of durability officials because it has the sensors of public-private partners to address a
data “is one of the major barriers of the embedded in the composite decking, specific need that exists in many rural
adoption of novel and advance materials which generates data in real time, much communities in Tennessee and across
including carbon, basalt, or glass fiber like a smartphone. The sensors were easy the country: structurally deficient or
reinforced polymeric composites in civil to install while the two 8-by-25-foot deck obsolete bridges,” said Jeff McCay, CEO
infrastructure.” panels were pre-manufactured offsite, and of Chattanooga, Tennessee–based CAG.
“This is a major obstacle for integrating those sensors then actually become part of CAG was instrumental in getting the
new materials and structures quickly, and the structural component. rural bridge project off the ground, and
thus require successful demonstration Wireless technology developed at UT is the wheels began turning when McCay
as being done through this IACMI being utilized for monitoring the response learned Morgan County officials were
project,” Penumadu said. “Bridge decks of the bridge system and traffic counts looking for a highly durable, low-
are the most damage-prone elements remotely via cloud computing. maintenance solution to replace the
and we are integrating smart sensors It Took A Village of Public-Private bridge.
distributed throughout the composite He saw an opportunity to incorporate
bridge deck that will provide us valuable Interests composite bridge technology from
performance data with time for years to Early in the process, IACMI reached Structural Composites and began
come.” out to Neel-Schaffer,Inc. regarding discussions with IACMI and UT, along
preliminary aspects of the bridge with in-state excavating contractor
A “Smart Bridge” With Some Smartphone requirements. The engineering, planning McKinney Excavating Inc. of
Capabilities and construction management firm has a Athens. McKinney Excavating owner
UT’s Fibers and Composites strong commitment to local communities, Brian McKinney welcomed the chance to
Manufacturing Facility dedicated a team and in fact, one of its recent East
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