Innovative Strain Based Bridge Weigh-In-Motion System for Truss Bridges

Efficient management of bridge structures requires a thorough understanding of the traffic using a bridge. In this paper an innovative static strain-based remote Bridge-Weigh-In-Motion (BWIM) system is deployed on a truss bridge in rural New Brunswick, Canada. The analysis methods are briefly outlined, and the system is successfully validated with a truck of known weight resulting in an average error of 7% in gross vehicle weight estimation. It is shown how the BWIM system can be used in estimating the dynamic amplification factors use in the analysis and design of bridges.