This article presents numerical and experimental analyses of a steel truss railway bridge. The main feature of this work is that dynamic experiments have been performed before and after the ballasted track was placed on the bridge. Consequently, it has been possible to quantify the effect of the ballast and the rails on the dynamic properties of the bridge. For that, two finite element models, with and without the ballasted track, have been implemented and calibrated using the experimental results. It appears that the ballast gives an additional stiffness of about 25-30% for the lowest three eigenmodes. This additional stiffness can be only partly explained by the stiffness of the ballast. In fact, it seems that this additional stiffness is also due to a change in the support conditions.

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New modern bridges and older structures exposed to accelerated deterioration need permanent condition monitoring. The major tools used in bridge condition evaluation are based on the results of the experimental modal analysis of bridge structures. This paper focuses on the methodology of Forced Vibration Tests performed by means of mechanical exciters. A comprehensive testing system called MANABRIS, developed at Wroclaw University of Technology, is presented. The system is equipped with a rotational eccentric mass exciter and dedicated software for programming and controlling the tests and for acquiring and processing measurement data. The results of a Forced Vibration Test carried out on a typical railway bridge are compared with the results of a conventional modal test of the structure excited by trains. The precision of the considered testing techniques is evaluated and the range of their effective application is proposed. Santrauka Naujų šiuolaikinių tiltų ir senesnių konstrukcijų, kurias veikia greitesnio nusidėvėjimo procesai, būklę reikia nuolat stebėti. Pagrindinės priemonės, taikomos tilto būklei vertinti, pagrįstos tilto konstrukcijų eksperimentinės modalinės analizės rezultatais. Šiame straipsnyje pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas priverstinės vibracijos testams (angl. Forced Vibration Tests), atliktiems naudojant mechaninio žadinimo generatorius. Pristatoma išsami bandymo sistema, pavadinta MANABRIS, kuri buvo sukurta Vroclavo technologijos universitete. Sistemoje yra sukamasis ekscentriškas masės sužadintuvas ir programinė įranga, skirta testams programuoti ir kontroliuoti, norint gauti ir apdoroti matavimų duomenis. Priverstinės vibracijos testo (angl. Forced Vibration Test), atlikto su įprastu geležinkelio tiltu, rezultatai lyginami su tradicinio modalinio testo rezultatais, gautais konstrukcijas veikiant traukiniais. Vertinamas testo tikslumas ir siūlomi jo efektyvaus pritaikymo būdai.

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