Citation

Green MF, Cebon D. Proc. Int. Tech. Conf. Enhanced Safety Vehicles 1992; 1992: 138-145.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1992, In public domain, Publisher National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The main objective of the tests presented in this paper is to validate a calculation procedure for predicting the dynamic response of highway bridges to dynamic wheel loads. The results of dynamic tests on two highway bridges near Reading, UK are presented. The dynamic characteristics of the bridges were derived from measurements using an instrumented hammer. Two instrumented, articulated vehicles were driven over the bridges. Dynamic wheel loads were measured simultaneously with bridge responses and the measurements were used to validate mathematical models of bridge dynamics. These models were used to compare the theoretical effects of leaf spring and air spring suspensions on dynamic bridge responses. It is concluded that air suspensions are likely to cause consistently lower dynamic bridge responses than steel suspensions because they generate lower dynamic wheel loads.