Abstract
Moving load identification has been researched with regard to the analysis of structural responses, taking into consideration that the structural responses would be affected by the axle parameters, which in its turn would complicate obtaining the values of moving vehicle loads. In this research, a method that identifies the loads of moving vehicles using the modified maximum strain value considering the long-gauge fiber optic strain responses is proposed. The method is based on the assumption that the modified maximum strain value caused only by the axle loads may be easily used to identify the load of moving vehicles by eliminating the influence of these axle parameters from the peak value, which is not limited to a specific type of bridges and can be applied in conditions, where there are multiple moving vehicles on the bridge. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the gross vehicle weights (GVWs) and axle weights are estimated with high accuracy under complex vehicle loads. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified through field testing of a continuous girder bridge. The identified axle weights and gross vehicle weights are comparable with the static measurements obtained by the static weighing.
Highlights
In view of the inconveniences caused by stop detection required by the Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems for overload detection on highways, the moving vehicle load identification based on the bridge, which can be used to estimate vehicle loads conveniently, is becoming a topical issue in structural identification (Rahbari et al, 2015; Meng et al, 2019; Tang et al, 2020; Chen et al, 2020)
The implementation of the modified maximum strain based on the influence line theory to solve the problems related to moving vehicle load identification is described
Because the parameters of the axle spacing and the axle weight ratios from different moving vehicles have an impact on the maximum strain values, the contributing factors and the axle load pattern are determined in order to modify the maximum strain values
Summary
In view of the inconveniences caused by stop detection required by the Weigh-in-Motion (WIM) systems for overload detection on highways, the moving vehicle load identification based on the bridge, which can be used to estimate vehicle loads conveniently, is becoming a topical issue in structural identification (Rahbari et al, 2015; Meng et al, 2019; Tang et al, 2020; Chen et al, 2020). The axle-detector system consists of tape switches measuring vehicle speed and axle spacing installed in the pavement, and strain gauges on the bottom flanges of the girders measuring structural flexural strain. Taking into consideration that the tape switches degrade within short periods of use, in the FAD systems, strain sensors are installed on the bottom of the bridge girders. It is worth noting that the available FAD systems can only be applied to the bridges, which demonstrate sharp peaks in flexural strain responses, such as short span bridges with cross beams (Kalin et al, 2006). A B-WIM method that only uses several long-gauge fibre Bragg grating (FBG) has been proposed to solve the issues of sensor feasibility, inapplicability for multiple vehicle scenarios and the need for an additional axle-detector (Chen et al, 2019). More research is needed to improve the reliability of these technologies
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