Dynamic Assessment of Bridge Load-Carrying Capacities. II

Abstract

Laboratory tests on a model reinforced-concrete beam-slab bridge deck were briefly described in the first part of this two-part paper. These results and some theoretical studies were used to support the possibility that the measurement of the fundamental modal frequency might be used to assess both the structural condition and load-carrying capacity of a bridge. Two factors were proposed in the original paper to measure these structural qualities. This second part of the paper details the results obtained from measurements of 13 full-scale bridge decks. The two proposed factors are calculated for this group of bridges, and the preliminary results suggest this approach could hold some promise as a means of assessing the structural condition of bridges.