Design and characterization of a piezoelectric sensor for monitoring scour hole evolution

Faezeh Azhari; Caroline Tom; Joseph Benassini; Kenneth J. Loh; Fabian A. Bombardelli

doi:10.1117/12.2044391

8 March 2014 Design and characterization of a piezoelectric sensor for monitoring scour hole evolution

Faezeh Azhari, Caroline Tom, Joseph Benassini, Kenneth J. Loh, Fabian A. Bombardelli

Proceedings Volume 9061, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2014; 906118 (2014) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2044391
Event: SPIE Smart Structures and Materials + Nondestructive Evaluation and Health Monitoring, 2014, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

Scour occurring near bridge piers and abutments jeopardizes the stability and safety of overwater bridges. In fact, bridge scour is responsible for a significant portion of overwater bridge failures in the United States and around the world. As a result, numerous methods have been developed for monitoring bridge scour by measuring scour depth at locations near bridge piers and foundations. Besides visual inspections conducted by trained divers, other technologies include sonar, float-out devices, magnetic sliding collars, tilt sensors, and fiber optics, to name a few. These systems each offer unique advantages, but most of them share fundamental limitations (e.g., high costs, low reliability, limited accuracy, low reliability, etc.) that have limited their implementation in practice. Thus, the goal of this study is to present a low-cost and simple scour depth sensor fabricated using piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) polymer strips. Unlike current piezoelectric scour sensors that are based on mounting multiple and equidistantly spaced transducers on a rod, the proposed sensor is formed by coating one continuous PVDF film onto a substrate, followed by waterproofing the sensor. The PVDF-based sensor can then be buried in the streambed and at a location where scour depth measurements are desired. When scour occurs and exposes a portion of the PVDF sensor, water flow excites the sensor to cause the generation of a time-varying voltage signal. Since the dynamics of the voltage time history response is related to the exposed length of the sensor, scour depth can be determined. This work presents the design and fabrication of the sensor. Then, the sensor’s performance and accuracy is characterized through extensive laboratory testing.

Citation Download Citation

Faezeh Azhari, Caroline Tom, Joseph Benassini, Kenneth J. Loh, and Fabian A. Bombardelli "Design and characterization of a piezoelectric sensor for monitoring scour hole evolution", Proc. SPIE 9061, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems 2014, 906118 (8 March 2014); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2044391

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