Wireless Sensors for Dynamic Testing of a Full Scale Highway Truss: Vertical Electrodynamic White Noise Shaker Excitation

The truss was excited in the vertical direction with band-limited white noise to simulate ambient excitation in the field. The generated white noise, amplified using an amplifier is imposed on the truss using the electro-dynamic shaker (VG-100 from Vibration Test Systems). In all of the tests the shaker location was constant. For each of the test configurations, data was collected for multiple repetetions of the same shaker excitations. The truss was subject to band limited white noise of 0-200 Hz.

In the tests, wireless sensors are used to measure acceleration responses on the truss structure. Wireless sensors are triaxial, so x, y, and z directions are measured at the same time. Data was collected for 280 seconds at sampling frequencies of 280 Hz for the various sensor configurations.