• Wind and Structures
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.95-104
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• 1999

The dynamic properties of one-span or multi-span reinforced concrete footbridges of catenary form (see e.g., Fig. 1) include the very low fundamental natural frequency, usually near the step-frequency of pedestrians, and the low damping of bending vibrations. The paper summarized the results of model as well as full-scale measurements with particular reference to the influence of torsional rigidity of the stress-ribbon on the magnitude of aerodynamic response, the results of measurements on footbridges of catenary form being completed by results obtained on footbridges of some other types. Additionally the influence of the local broadening of the bridge deck on the bridge response was tested. Starting from these results the criterion has been derived for the decision, whether the flutter analysis is necessary for the design of the footbridge.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.5
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• pp.647-661
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• 2023

It is recognized that the installation of energy dissipation devices, such as the tuned mass damper (TMD), decreases the dynamic response of structures, however, the best parameters of each device persist hard to determine. Unlike many works that perform only a deterministic optimization, this work proposes a complete methodology to minimize the dynamic response of footbridges by optimizing the parameters of multiple tuned mass dampers (MTMD) taking into account uncertainties present in the parameters of the structure and also of the human excitation. For application purposes, a steel footbridge, based on a real structure, is studied. Three different scenarios for the MTMD are simulated. The proposed robust optimization problem is solved via the Circle-Inspired Optimization Algorithm (CIOA), a novel and efficient metaheuristic algorithm recently developed by the authors. The objective function is to minimize the mean maximum vertical displacement of the footbridge, whereas the design variables are the stiffness and damping constants of the MTMD. The results showed the excellent capacity of the proposed methodology, reducing the mean maximum vertical displacement by more than 36% and in a computational time about 9% less than using a classical genetic algorithm. The results obtained by the proposed methodology are also compared with results obtained through traditional TMD design methods, showing again the best performance of the proposed optimization method. Finally, an analysis of the maximum vertical acceleration showed a reduction of more than 91% for the three scenarios, leading the footbridge to acceleration values below the recommended comfort limits. Hence, the proposed methodology could be employed to optimize MTMD, improving the design of footbridges.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.51-69
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• 2015

In recent years, the use of fiber reinforced polymer composites has increased because of their unique features. They have been used widely in the aircraft and space industries, medical and sporting goods and automotive industries. Thanks to their beneficial and various advantages over traditional materials such as high strength, high rigidity, low weight, corrosion resistance, low maintenance cost, aesthetic appearance and easy demountable or moveable construction. In this paper, it is aimed to determine and compare the geometrically nonlinear static and dynamic analysis results of footbridges using steel and glass fiber reinforced polymer composite (GFRP) materials. For this purpose, Halgavor suspension footbridge is selected as numerical examples. The analyses are performed using three identical footbridges, first constructed from steel, second built only with GFRP material and third made of steel- GFRP material, under static and dynamic loadings using finite element method. In the finite element modeling and analyses, SAP2000 program is used. Geometric nonlinearities are taken into consideration in the analysis using P-Delta criterion. The numerical results have indicated that the responses of the three bridges are different and that the response values obtained for the GFRP composite bridge are quite less compared to the steel bridge. It is understood that GFRP material is more useful than the steel for the footbridges.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.727-740
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• 2018

Tuned mass dampers (TMDs) are passive damping devices widely employed to mitigate the pedestrian-induced vibrations on footbridges. The TMD design must ensure an adequate performance during the overall life-cycle of the structure. Although the TMD is initially adjusted to match the natural frequency of the vibration mode which needs to be controlled, its design must further take into account the change of the modal parameters of the footbridge due to the modification of the operational and environmental conditions. For this purpose, a motion-based design optimization method is proposed and implemented herein, aimed at ensuring the adequate behavior of footbridges under uncertainty conditions. The uncertainty associated with the variation of such modal parameters is simulated by a probabilistic approach based on the results of previous research reported in literature. The pedestrian action is modelled according to the recommendations of the Synpex guidelines. A comparison among the TMD parameters obtained considering different design criteria, design requirements and uncertainty levels is performed. To illustrate the proposed approach, a benchmark footbridge is considered. Results show both which is the most adequate design criterion to control the pedestrian-induced vibrations on the footbridge and the influence of the design requirements and the uncertainty level in the final TMD design.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.205-215
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• 2017

The use of advanced fibre composite materials in bridge engineering offers alternative solutions to structural problems compared to traditional construction materials. Advanced composite or fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have high strength to weight ratios, which can be especially beneficial where dead load or material handling considerations govern a design. However, the reduced weight and stiffness of FRP footbridges results in generally poorer dynamic performance, and vibration serviceability is likely to govern their design to avoid the footbridge being "too lively". This study investigates the dynamic behaviour of the 51.3 m span Wilcott FRP suspension footbridge. The assessment is performed through a combination of field testing and finite element analysis, and the measured performance of the bridge is being used to calibrate the model through an updating procedure. The resulting updated model allowed detailed interpretation of the results. It showed that non-structural members such as the parapets can influence the dynamic behaviour of slender, lightweight footbridges, and consequently their contribution must be included during the dynamic assessment of a structure. The test data showed that the FRP footbridge is prone to pedestrian induced vibrations, although the measured response levels were lower than limits specified in relevant standards.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.66 no.5
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• pp.595-608
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• 2018

This paper deals with the lateral - torsional motion of bridges provided with external cables acting as dampers under the action of horizontal dynamic loads or of walking human crowd loads. A three dimensional analysis is performed for the solution of the bridge models. The theoretical formulation is based on a continuum approach, which has been widely used in the literature to analyze bridges. The resulting equations of the uncoupled motion are solved using the Laplace Transformation, while the case of the coupled motion is solved through the use of the potential energy. Finally, characteristic examples are presented and useful results are obtained.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.143-163
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• 2017

This paper presents a non-destructive testing method for estimating the structural response of cable-stayed footbridges. The approach combines field measurements with a numerical static analysis of the structure. When the experimental information concerning the structure deformations is coupled with the numerical data on the structural response, it is possible to calculate the static forces and the design tension resistance in selected structural elements, and as a result, assess the condition of the entire structure. The paper discusses the method assumptions and provides an example of the use of the procedure to assess the load-carrying capacity of a real steel footbridge. The proposed method can be employed to assess cable-stayed structures including those made of other materials, e.g., concrete, timber or composites.

• Journal of Korean Association for Spatial Structures
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.101-108
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• 2019

Recently, measuring instruments for SHM of structures has been developed. In general, the wireless transmission of sensor signals, compared to its wired counterpart, is preferable due to the absence of triboelectric noise and elimination of the requirement of a cumbersome cable. However, the low-cost wireless MEMS sensor has high noise density and transmits the signal wirelessly, so data transmission delay occurs during measurement. Therefore, the footbridges that was previously measured by a mobile phone in 2014 was remeasured using G-Link-200, iPad and iPhone to compare their performance.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.487-502
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• 2007

In recent decades there has been a trend towards improved mechanical characteristics of materials used in footbridge construction. It has enabled engineers to design lighter, slender and more aesthetic structures. As a result of these construction trends, many footbridges have become more susceptible to vibrations when subjected to dynamic loads. In addition to this, some inherit modelling uncertainties related to a lack of information on the as-built structure, such as boundary conditions, material properties, and the effects of non-structural elements make difficult to evaluate modal properties of footbridges, analytically. For these purposes, modal testing of footbridges is used to rectify these problems after construction. This paper describes an arch type steel footbridge, its analytical modelling, modal testing and finite element model calibration. A modern steel footbridge which has arch type structural system and located on the Karadeniz coast road in Trabzon, Turkey is selected as an application. An analytical modal analysis is performed on the developed 3D finite element model of footbridge to provide the analytical frequencies and mode shapes. The field ambient vibration tests on the footbridge deck under natural excitation such as human walking and traffic loads are conducted. The output-only modal parameter identification is carried out by using the peak picking of the average normalized power spectral densities in the frequency domain and stochastic subspace identification in the time domain, and dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies mode shapes and damping ratios are determined. The finite element model of footbridge is calibrated to minimize the differences between analytically and experimentally estimated modal properties by changing some uncertain modelling parameters such as material properties. At the end of the study, maximum differences in the natural frequencies are reduced from 22% to only %5 and good agreement is found between analytical and experimental dynamic characteristics such as natural frequencies, mode shapes by model calibration.

• Structural Monitoring and Maintenance
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.201-220
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• 2022

Lateral vibrations of footbridges may induce synchronization between pedestrians and structure itself, resulting in amplification of such vibrations, a phenomenon identified by lock-in. However, investigations about accelerations and frequencies of the structural movement that are related to the occurrence of synchronization are still incipient. The aim of this paper is to investigate conditions that could lead to avoidance of synchronization among pedestrians themselves and footbridge, expressed in terms of peak acceleration. The focus is on the low acceleration range, employed in some guidelines as a criterion to avoid synchronization. An experimental campaign was carried out, employing a prototype footbridge that was set into oscillatory motion through a pneumatic exciter controlled by a fuzzy system, with controlled frequency and amplitude. Test subjects were then asked to cross the oscillating structure, and accelerations were simultaneously recorded at the structure and at the subject's waist. Pattern and phase differences between these signals were analysed. The results showed that test subjects tended to keep their walking patterns without synchronization induced by the vibration of the structure, for structural peak acceleration values up to 0.18 m/s², when frequencies of oscillation were around 0.8 to 0.9 Hz. On the other hand, for frequencies of oscillation below 0.7 Hz, structural peak accelerations up to 0.30 m/s² did not induce synchronization.