Full-Scale Barge Impact Experiments, Robert C. Byrd Lock and Dam, Gallipolis Ferry, West Virginia

摘要

Full-scale barge impact experiments were conducted on a rigid upstream guide wall at Robert C. Byrd Lock and Dam (Old Gallipolis Lock) in Gallipolis Ferry, WV. The primary goal of these experiments was to measure the actual impact forces normal to the wall using a load-measuring device. Additional objectives of these experiments were to obtain and measure the baseline response of an inland waterway barge, quantity a multi-degree-of- freedom system during impact, and investigate the use of energy-absorbing fenders. The full-scale experiments used a 15-barge commercial flotilla. The barges were jumbo open-hopper rake barges (35 by 195 ft; 11 by 59 m) and were ballasted with coal to a draft of 9 ft (2.5 m). The total mass of the flotilla was approximately 27,000 metric tons. Instrumentation similar to that used during the 'prototype' experiments, performed in August 1998, was used for the full-scale experiments. This included accelerometers, strain gages, and clevis pin load cells in the lashing parts. The instrumentation data were collected using over 80 channels of instrumentation on both the barge and lock wall. These experiments also utilized a differential global positioning system (DGPS) on the flotilla to measure the tow velocity, angle, and rotation during impact, as well as high-speed cameras to capture the barge-wall and barge-fender interaction. New state-of-the-art instrumentation was developed to measure the actual load normal to the barge and wall. This consisted of a load-measuring beam that had two clevis pin load cells capable of measuring up to approximately 1,200 kips (5,340 kN). In addition, a system of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) sensors was developed at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center as part of a redundant load-measurement system on the load beam.