GUIDELINES FOR STRONG-MOTION INSTRUMENTATION OF HIGHWAY BRIDGES

This report suggests guidelines for the strong-motion instrumentation of highway grade separation bridges. It has been written for the civil or structural engineer who is not familiar with the objectives of strong-motion instrumentation programs, the instrumentation utilized in such programs, and where and how to install that instrumentation. It is designed to supplement a previously published companion report entitled "Use and interpretation of strong-motion records from highway bridges" (Raggett and Rojahn, 1978), Report No. FHWA/RD-78/158. The report is divided into ten principal sections. The first section is a general discussion on strong-motion instrumentation and records. In the second and third sections, instrumentation program objectives and criteria for selecting a bridge for strong-motion instrumentation are introduced. The fourth section is a discussion on the linear dynamic behavior of bridges that is designed to familiarize the reader with the theoretical aspects of bridge response. In the fifth section, the failure of highway bridges during the 1971 San Fernando earthquake is discussed and in the sixth section, recommended guidelines for instrument placement on and adjacent to bridge structures are presented. The seventh and eighth sections describe recommended instrumentation type, installation techniques, and maintenance requirements, and the ninth contains a complete description of an actual strong-motion instrumentation scheme installed on a continuous two-span bridge near El Centro, California. The last (tenth) section contains concluding remarks, followed by a list of references and an appendix containing a discussion on the positive and negative aspects of recording various quantities of motion. (FHWA)

• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/68538
• Corporate Authors:

  U.S. Geological Survey

  F Street Between 18th and 19th Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20244

  Federal Highway Administration

  Engineering Research and Development Bureau, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Rojahn, C
• Publication Date: 1981-12

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: 122 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Building; Facilities; Highway bridges; Installation; Instrumentation; Maintenance
• Old TRIS Terms: Bridge dynamics
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Design; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; I24: Design of Bridges and Retaining Walls;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00348640
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: FHWA-RD-82- 16 Final Rpt., FCP 35A1-052
• Contract Numbers: 5-3-0195
• Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Apr 28 1982 12:00AM