# Experimental procedure, environmental and tilt data of the openLAB research bridge during the damaging tests in May 2025

## Abstract

This dataset presents the experimental campaign and monitoring data from the openLAB research bridge, a large-scale laboratory structure located in Bautzen, Germany.
The experimental campaign with damaging loading tests was carried out between 2025-05-05 and 2025-05-07 (inclusive).
The dataset includes the protocol of the measurement campaign, monitoring data for air temperature and structural temperature, humidity, solar radiation as well as tilt measurements.

Data are sourced from an electrical Gantner Instruments measurement system (Q.station 101T, with various Q.bloxx modules) and several testo 176 T4 data loggers.
Datasheets for all sensors and data loggers are provided.

The repository provides the data in Comma Separated Values (CSV) and Tab Separated Values (TSV) format.
Each file includes a header specifying the names of the data columns.
Additional details, such as units and sampling frequency, are provided in this README file.
Each CSV file contains a Timestamp column that records the time of each sample as a datetime string in ISO 8601 format, without time zone information.
All timestamps are in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Sensor data is represented as decimal numbers.

Related ressources:

- Digital documents of the openLAB and BIM models (german): [Digitale Unterlagen der openLAB Versuchsbrücke mit Stand November 2025](https://doi.org/10.25532/OPARA-1010)
- Load and deflection: [Monitoring Data of the openLAB Research Bridge – Load Test on PE 2.1](https://doi.org/10.25532/OPARA-852)
- Crack pictures and surface crack widths: [Photographic documentation of crack development on the openLAB during the loading test on 2025-05-06](https://doi.org/10.25532/OPARA-898)


## Structure of the repository

### 📁 Protocol

The directory `Protocol` contains the protocol of all three testing days (2025-05-05, 2025-05-06, and 2025-05-07).
It contians the timeline of the test actions, positions of the railguided vehicle, introduced damages and dynamic excitations.
The protocol is translated into German and English.
For each language, three format versions (with the same content) are available: Microsoft Excel (`.xlsx`), OpenDocument (`.ods`) and exported as PDF.

The PDF presentation `Rekonstruktion_Temperaturdaten.pdf` (german) documents which and how missing structural temperature readings are imputed and reconstructed from other readings.


### 📁 Datasheets

The directory `Datasheets` contains the technical datasheets in PDF format of all sensors and measuring devices used in the dataset.


### 📁 Data


#### Data column naming convention

To ensure consistency across the various measurement systems on the bridge, a standardized naming convention has been established for the resulting data columns.
This convention is used for the environment and tiltmeters.
Each 20-character column name encodes key information, including the measurement system, measurement type, structural component, and sensor installation location.
Certain sensor products offer multiple measurement capabilities, such as simultaneously recording tilt and temperature.
Consequently, data from these sensors is represented in multiple data columns.
The full naming convention is illustrated below using the example of the data column G_TILX_PE11_CB1100_0.

```
G_TILX_PE11_CB1100_0
~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~
| |    |    | |    |
| |    |    | |    |
| |    |    | |    |- Block 6 (1-digit): Sensor replacement,
| |    |    | |        e.g., 0 = original sensor, 1 = first replacement
| |    |    | |
| |    |    | |- Block 5 (4-digits): Distance from reference point (component origin) in mm,
| |    |    |     e.g., 1100 = 11.0 m
| |    |    |
| |    |    |- Block 4 (2-digits): Installation Location,
| |    |        e.g., CB = concrete, bottom edge
| |    |
| |    |- Block 3 (4-digits): Structural component,
| |        e.g., PE11 = precast element, span 1, girder 1
| |
| |- Block 2 (4-digits): Sensor type,
|    e.g., TILX = Tiltmeter/tilt along longitudinal bridge direction
|
|- Block 1 (1-digit): Measurement system, e.g., G = Gantner Instruments
```

The options for each block in the naming scheme are listed in the following tables.
Only the relevant options for the presented dataset are included.
For example, since the dataset does not contain data from fiber optic sensors and exclusively uses the electrical Gantner Instruments measurement system, the first block of each column name is always represented by G.
This block has been omitted from the tables for brevity.

| Block 2 | Measurement type                                   |
| :------ | :------------------------------------------------- |
| HTST    | Hygro-thermo sensor/temperature                    |
| HTSH    | Hygro-thermo sensor/humidity                       |
| PYRS    | Pyranometer                                        |
| TILY    | Tiltmeter/tilt along transverse bridge direction   |
| TILX    | Tiltmeter/tilt along longitudinal bridge direction |
| TILT    | Tiltmeter/temperature                              |
| TILH    | Tiltmeter/humidity                                 |

| Block 3 | Structural component              |
| :------ | :-------------------------------- |
| PE11    | Precast element, span 1, girder 1 |
| PE12    | Precast element, span 1, girder 2 |
| PE13    | Precast element, span 1, girder 3 |
| PE21    | Precast element, span 2, girder 1 |
| PE22    | Precast element, span 2, girder 2 |
| PE23    | Precast element, span 2, girder 3 |
| ENVR    | Environment                       |

| Block 4 | Installation location |
| :------ | :-------------------- |
| CB      | Concrete, bottom edge |
| EN      | Environment           |

#### File: Data/environment_10min.csv

The `environment_10min.csv` file contains measurements from sensors for air temperature, humidity, and solar radiation.
These sensors are part of a weather station mounted on top of the bridge.
Samples are collected in 10-minute intervals, with data available from 2025-05-05 to 2025-05-07 (inclusive).

**Sensors:** Thies Clima 1.1005.54.773, Kipp & Zonen SP Lite2

**Sample rate:** 1/600 Hz

**Schema:**

| Column name          | Data type      | Description             |
| :------------------- | :------------- | :---------------------- |
| Timestamp            | Datetime       | ISO 8601 format (UTC)   |
| G_HTST_ENVR_EN0000_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C   |
| G_HTSH_ENVR_EN0000_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %  |
| G_PYRS_ENVR_EN0000_0 | Decimal Number | Solar radiation in W/m² |

**Preprocessing:** No preprocessing steps have been applied.


#### File: Data/temperature_Testo.tsv

The file `Data/temperature_Testo.tsv` contains readings of 80 temperature sensors embedded into the structure.

It is a UTF-8 text file containing a table with tab separated columns.
For each sensor, two columns are present.
Uneven columns contain the time stamps, given in ISO 8601 format (UTC).
The following even column contains the according temperature reading given in °C.

The first line of the file contains the sensors' names in uneven column numbers and even column numbers are empty.
The second line of the file contains the headers for the subcolumns: `Time (UTC)` in uneven column numbers and `Temperature °C` in even column numbers.

Note that this file uses the german naming convention.
The names and positions of the sensors and the cable length is documented in [Digitale Unterlagen der openLAB Versuchsbrücke mit Stand November 2025](https://doi.org/10.25532/OPARA-1010).

The readings of some sensors are reconstructed.
The documentation of which sensors are reconstructed and how this is done is given in `ProtocolRekonstruktion_Temperaturdaten.pdf` (german).


#### File: Data/tilt_10min.csv

Tiltmeter data that is sampled every 10 minutes can be found in the file `tilt_10min.csv`.
Tilt is measured along the transverse bridge direction (TILY) and the longitudinal bridge direction (TILX).
Additionally, each tiltmeter records air temperature and relative humidity.
Data is available from 2025-05-05 to 2025-05-07 (inclusive).

**Sensors:** Sisgeo 0S542HD0502

**Sample rate:** 1/600 Hz

**Schema:**

| Column name          | Data type      | Description                                   |
| :------------------- | :------------- | :-------------------------------------------- |
| Timestamp            | Datetime       | ISO 8601 format (UTC)                         |
| G_TILY_PE11_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the transverse direction   |
| G_TILX_PE11_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILT_PE11_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C                         |
| G_TILH_PE11_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %                        |
| G_TILY_PE12_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the transverse direction   |
| G_TILX_PE12_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILT_PE12_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C                         |
| G_TILH_PE12_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %                        |
| G_TILY_PE13_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the transverse direction   |
| G_TILX_PE13_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILT_PE13_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C                         |
| G_TILH_PE13_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %                        |
| G_TILY_PE21_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the transverse direction   |
| G_TILX_PE21_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILT_PE21_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C                         |
| G_TILH_PE21_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %                        |
| G_TILY_PE22_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the transverse direction   |
| G_TILX_PE22_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILT_PE22_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C                         |
| G_TILH_PE22_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %                        |
| G_TILY_PE23_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the transverse direction   |
| G_TILX_PE23_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILT_PE23_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Air temperature in °C                         |
| G_TILH_PE23_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Relative humidity in %                        |

**Preprocessing:** No preprocessing steps have been applied.


#### File: Data/tilt_1hz.csv and tilt_1hz_no_tara.csv

Tiltmeter data along the longitudinal bridge direction (TILX) is recorded with 1 Hz during the damaging load test.
A positive rotation indicates a tilt towards the center of span 2.
Data is available from 2025-05-06 08:41:00 to 2025-05-06 18:40:00.

**Sensors:** Sisgeo 0S542HD0502

**Sample rate:** 1 Hz

**Schema:**

| Column name          | Data type      | Description                                   |
| :------------------- | :------------- | :-------------------------------------------- |
| Timestamp            | Datetime       | ISO 8601 format (UTC)                         |
| G_TILX_PE11_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE12_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE13_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE21_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE22_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE23_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |

**Preprocessing:** In the file `tilt_1hz.csv`, a tare correction has been applied to each channel by subtracting the median of the first 2 minutes of data.
The file `tilt_1hz_no_tara.csv` contains the raw data without any tare correction, i.e., with the original sensor offsets at the start of the measurements on 2024-02-01.


#### Directory: 📁 Data/tiltmeter_trigger

In addition to continuous tilt measurements, a 90-second sample is recorded each time a load test with a self-driving vehicle is conducted.
The data can be found in the directory `tiltmeter_trigger`.
Each test follows the same procedure: the vehicle begins in bridge span 3 near the abutment, drives to span 1, stops near the abutment, and then returns to its starting position.
Throughout the test, the vehicle moves at a maximum speed of approximately 4 km/h and remains on the bridge for the entire time.
Each recording captures a complete test cycle, including crossings in both directions.

Load tests with the self-driving vehicle were performed on the day before the damaging load tests (2025-05-05) as well as on the day after (2025-05-07).

**Files:** The directory contains 33 CSV files.
Each file name includes the prefix `tiltmeter_` followed by the timestamp marking the start of the triggered measurement.
The file naming convention is as follows:

```plaintext
tiltmeter_{year}_{month}_{day}_T{hour}_{minute}_{second}.csv
```

**Sensors:** Sisgeo 0S542HD0502

**Sample rate:** 5 Hz

**Schema:**

| Column name          | Data type      | Description                                   |
| :------------------- | :------------- | :-------------------------------------------- |
| Timestamp            | Datetime       | ISO 8601 format (UTC)                         |
| G_TILX_PE11_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE12_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE13_CB1100_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE21_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE22_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |
| G_TILX_PE23_CB0400_0 | Decimal Number | Tilt in mm/m along the longitudinal direction |

**Preprocessing:** To isolate signal components related specifically to the load test, the median of the initial 4 seconds is subtracted from each channel, removing unrelated influences such as temperature effects.
Additionally, to filter out falsely triggered measurements, each sample is compared to a reference crossing using cross-correlation to calculate a time-dependent Pearson coefficient.
Only samples with a maximum coefficient above 0.85 are considered valid.


## Availability, Copyright and Funding

This dataset is available as open data.

**Authors:** Richter, Bertram and Ulbrich, Lisa and Kielreiter, Anett and Jansen, Andreas and Röder, Robert and Walker, Maria and Jesse, Frank  
**DOI:** [10.25532/OPARA-1012](https://doi.org/10.25532/OPARA-1012)  
**Licence:** Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 4.0 (CC-BY-SA 4.0)  
**Date:** 2025-**05**  

This dataset is result of the research projects IDA-KI ("Automated assessment of monitoring data for infrastructure constructions using AI and IoT"; funding reference: 19FV2013A-D) and FOSsure ("Fiber optic sensors for reliable condition assessment of concrete bridges"; funding reference: 01FV2075A), which were funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Germany, within the innovation program mFUND.
