Horizontal bridge-soil interaction assessment by dynamic testing

This paper presents a methodology to assess the real longitudinal stiffness of a bridge including the foundation-soil interaction. The method is based on a dynamic test of the bridge complemented by structural identification. The experimentally obtained natural frequencies of the bridge in the horizontal and vertical planes are used to derive, via a parameter identification procedure and a dynamic model of the bridge, the most approximate values of the Winkler coefficients simulating the interaction of foundation with ground. The theoretical background of the procedure is first presented and then demonstrated on a prestressed concrete highway bridge with a total length of 2040 m (normal span length of 40 m). The bridge is located near the sea coast, and large variations in the soil properties were observed between the piers. As a consequence, it was not possible to assess in a reliable way the actual global stiffness of this bridge (due to the interaction of deck, piers, abutments and foundations) in front of horizontal forces (vehicle braking, earthquake, wind and so on) based on the results of the geotechnical survey. The dynamic excitation in the longitudinal direction was easily achieved by means of controlled vehicle braking at different points on the bridge. The results show the feasibility of using dynamic testing with vehicle braking as excitation to deduce the correct behavior of the bridge under the effect of horizontal loads.