Experimental Simulation of Bridges Subjected by Moving Loads

Abstract

The effect of bridge vibrationinduced bylive loads such as vehicles and pedestrians is an important factor of bridge fatigue damage. It takes much labor and material resource to perform vibration experiments on bridges subjected by real moving loads in field. In order to carry out laboratory experiments on bridges subjected by moving loads, a fixed load with harmonic vibration simulates a moving load on bridge in the beam theory. A simply supported bridge is considered in the present study. The dynamic responses of bridge under different loads are established by the analytic method. Amplitude and frequency of the simulated load are generated on the principle of equal displacements due to both a moving load and a fixed harmonic load impacting on a simply supported beam. Comparisons of numerical results of two types of load on the same beam indicate that the harmonic load can simulate a moving load effectively. It is possible that the field test on bridge can be carried out indoors.