Multi-Span Box Girder Bridge Sensitivity Analysis in Response to Damage Scenarios

Abstract

Due to their distinct features, including structural simplicity and exceptional load-carrying capacity, steel box girder bridges play a critical role in transportation networks. However, they are categorized as fracture-critical structures and face significant challenges. These challenges stem from the overloading and the relentless effects of corrosion and aging on critical structural components. As a result, these bridges require thorough inspections to ensure their safety and integrity. This paper introduces generalized approaches based on vibration-based structural health monitoring in response to this need. This approach assesses the condition of critical members in a steel girder bridge and evaluates their sensitivity to damage. A rigorous analytical evaluation demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach in evaluating the Szapáry multi-span continuous highway bridge under various damage scenarios. This evaluation necessitates extensive vibration measurements, with piezoelectric sensors capturing ambient vibrations and developing detailed finite element models of the bridge to simulate the structural behavior accurately. The results obtained from this study showed that bridge frequencies are sufficiently sensitive for identifying significant fractures in long bridges. However, the mode shape results show a better resolution when compared to the frequency changes. The findings are usually sensitive enough to identify damage at the affected locations. Amplitude changes in the mode shape help determine the location of damage. The modal assurance criterion (MAC) served to identify damage as well. Finally, the results show a distinct pattern of frequency and mode shape variations for every damage scenario, which helps to identify the damage type, severity, and location along the bridge. The analysis results reported in this study serve as a reference benchmark for the Szapáry Bridge health monitoring.