Browsing by Subject "Strain gages"

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    Effects of Implements of Husbandry (Farm Equipment) on Pavement Performance
    (Minnesota Department of Transportation Research Services Section, 2012-04) Lim, Jason; Azary, Andrea; Khazanovich, Lev; Wang, Shiyun; Kim, Sunghwan; Ceylan, Halil; Gopalakrishnan, Kasthurirangan
    The effects of farm equipment on the structural behavior of flexible and rigid pavements were investigated in this study. The project quantified the difference in pavement behavior caused by heavy farm equipment as compared to a typical 5-axle, 80 kip semi-truck. This research was conducted on full scale pavement test sections designed and constructed at the Minnesota Road Research facility (MnROAD). The testing was conducted in the spring and fall seasons to capture responses when the pavement is at its weakest state and when agricultural vehicles operate at a higher frequency, respectively. The flexible pavement sections were heavily instrumented with strain gauges and earth pressure cells to measure essential pavement responses under heavy agricultural vehicles, whereas the rigid pavement sections were instrumented with strain gauges and linear variable differential transducers (LVDTs). The full scale testing data collected in this study were used to validate and calibrate analytical models used to predict relative damage to pavements. The developed procedure uses various inputs (including axle weight, tire footprint, pavement structure, material characteristics, and climatic information) to determine the critical pavement responses (strains and deflections). An analysis was performed to determine the damage caused by various types of vehicles to the roadway when there is a need to move large amounts agricultural product.
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    A Review of Instrumentation Technology for the Minnesota Road Research Project
    (1992-04) Van Deusen, David A.; Newcomb, David E.; Labuz, Joseph F.
    This report presents a literature review of instrumentation practices for the measurement of stresses, strains, and deflections in pavement structures. Various types of instruments that are commonly employed in pavement instrumentation projects are discussed, as well as the factors that influence their performance. In a series of laboratory experiments, the performance of three different types of embedment strain gages, two LVDTs, and one soil stress cell are investigated. These experiments are designed to evaluate the accuracy and durability of commercially available transducers. For strain gages, the selection of an appropriate transducer must balance compliance and measurement sensitivity. All of the strain gages tested in concrete gave reasonable results. It was found that hermetically sealed LVDTs should be sufficient enough for robust installations. Experiments with soil stress cells embedded in sand indicate the variability that may be expected in the field due to installation procedures, and emphasize the need for in-soil calibrations. A set of recommendations are provided with respect tot the sensor procurement and installation specifications for Mn/ROAD.