Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2024
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering
Department
Civil Engineering
First Advisor
Xinbao Yu
Second Advisor
Laureano Hoyos
Third Advisor
MD. Sahadat Hossain
Fourth Advisor
Saibun Tjuatja
Fifth Advisor
Taylor Li
Abstract
Treacherous driving conditions are a safety concern during the winter season where icing on roadways and bridges is of particular concern. The use of sensors to detect the presence or potential of surface ice formation is essential for efficient and effective winter road maintenance. However, there is a lack of ice detection systems that combine robust sensors, active warning signs and an ice detection algorithm that is reliable and economical. This study presents an innovative sensor that uses dielectric sensing to detect the onset of ice formation on a bridge deck. The sensor combines an automatic algorithm for ice detection with an active warning sign to alert drivers to the presence of icing. The ice detection algorithm relies on changes in the dielectric constant of the pavement media combined with pavement surface temperature to characterize the deck pavement condition. The objective of this research is to design, fabricate, and test experimentally the sensor prototypes and to develop a control viii module using the changes in the dielectric constant of the pavement surface media with surface temperature to activate a lighted warning sign when ice or the potential for ice is detected. Results from testing performed under controlled and field conditions indicate the use of the dielectric constant is a reliable and valid method of surface characterization. Testing confirmed the importance of the sampling area of the sensor and illustrated physically how the contribution of individual dielectric constants and their volume influences the effective dielectric constant of the composite system. It was found that the response of the dielectric constant to phase changes is significant and predictable. The automatic signal analysis algorithm was found to be within acceptable range of the dielectric constant obtained using time travel analysis. This shows that the automatic algorithm is both robust and reliable.
Keywords
Time domain reflectometry, Bridge deck icing, Ice detection systems, Winter road safety, Dielectric mixing formula
Disciplines
Civil Engineering | Transportation Engineering
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
DiLorenzo, Taryn, "Development of a Real-Time Warning System for Bridge Icing using Time Domain Reflectometry" (2024). Civil Engineering Dissertations. 501.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/civilengineering_dissertations/501