Testing and Evaluation of Navigational Lock Gates

By installing waterproofed strain transducers on the primary structural members on all different types of lock gates, the induced stresses can be determined during all operations including filling and draining of the lock chamber and gate operations. Part of the testing procedures is to track the level of the water as it rises and falls so that the forces can be plotted as a function of hydrostatic head. Since testing these types of structures with 40-60 channels in one day is possible, an accurate understanding of their actual behavior can be obtained in a cost-effective way.