Author(s): Dhruba Tripathi; Thomas G. Brown; Derek C. Mayne
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Abstract: Full scale data obtained from the ice force panels (IFP) installed on the conical surface of a Confederation Bridge pier is analyzed to determine the pressure pattern and its distribution. The IFPs provided pressure measurements over 40 m2 of the conical portion of the bridge pier with a resolution of 0.25 m2. Details of the IFPs, data screening and preparation, methodology used in the analysis of the data, and results obtained from the analysis are discussed. Raw data from the bridge, in the form of electrical signals, is converted into pressure and then is normalized to perform three different analyses: 1) Panel activation analysis 2) Detailed pressure distribution analysis and 3) Correlation matrix analysis. These analyses are helpful in determining the relative distribution of pressure in the contact area, the relationship between pressure on one panel sector with the pressures on adjacent panels, and the extent to which ice pressures are present over the area of the instrumented cone.
Year: 2008