A detailed instrumentation system has been developed to examine the behavior of different components of a bridge structure under the effect of temperature variations. A 3-span steel girder continuous girder bridge with integral abutment at the ends was selected for this study. The bridge is located in Evansville, West Virginia and the construction was completed in June 2003. The instrumentation plan is based on continuous monitoring of the triaxial state of strain, temperature gradient, crack opening, and relative movement between the substructure elements. The relative motion between the abutment and the pier at the edge span and between the two piers at the middle span its effect on the thermal strains and stresses induced in the steel girders as well as concrete bridge deck has been examined. The results indicates that motion of the substructure due to the expansion or contraction of the bridge superstructures is partially restrained, which generates thermal stresses in the girders and the deck that are not currently accounted for in the design. The instrumentation approach used in this study has shown that it could be used as an alert system for the deterioration of bridge structures.
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