University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Transportation Policy Studies

United States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology Administration

USDOT/RITA DT0S59-07-H-005

Tech Report

United States

University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Transportation Policy Studies

This report focused on two potential applications of terrestrial LiDAR scans on highway bridges: 1) vehicle crossing effects measured by3-D, terrestrial LiDAR scans of highway bridges measuring clearance distance; and 2) bridge post-blast geometric assessments of ground-based or vehicle-mounted terrestrial LiDAR scans. Data collected create a 3-D point cloud, which was determined to be ideal for measuring before-and-after conditions on bridges and large culverts. To determine the effects of ambient and seasonal temperature variation on clearance measurements, periodic monitoring was conducted using data from a four-lane bridge on Harris Boulevard near the UNC Charlotte campus. A simplistic but practical correlation analysis was performed, again illustrating that operational LiDAR scanning is a viable technique for bridge clearance measurements. Terrestrial 3-D LiDAR scanners generate dense point cloud information that can be used to establish baseline geometric information for structures and to establish critical dimensional footprints for before and after-event comparisons. For close range blast effects, the pre-blast and post-blast scans of a bridge were made in order to establish the potential and measure the impact of construction blasting-induced effects, and in general, measure damages to bridges or large culverts. The Colony Road bridge in southeast Charlotte was monitored before and after a nearby construction blasting. Full-scale, three dimensional scans of the bridge conducted before and after blasting. Critical sections and geometries were compared to ensure that the bridges were safe for traffic.

PDF

DT0S59-09-H-0005

US Transportation Collection