Estimating traffic-induced vibrations of road bridges prior to concreting works - Creating a meta-model for preliminary estimation of the risk of early-age concrete being negatively affected during its hardening by ongoing traffic

The interaction between the bridge and the vehicles passing over it is governed by very complex interrelationships, effects of which are difficult to predict. When construction works on existing concrete bridges take place, vibrations caused by ongoing traffic pose a potential risk for the early-age concrete, which may be being negatively affected during its hardening process. But especially in the course of the planning of construction processes and procedures, a preliminary estimate of potential risk would be helpful. For this reason, large-scale computation series based on calculation models of entire bridge populations was executed. The aim was to estimate the traffic-induced vibrations of slab and T-beam bridges in common configurations to be able to take appropriate steps in planning of construction works and protect the young concrete in its critical hardening phase. The bridge vibrations were calculated by transient FE-simulation for a large number of truck passages, while bridge properties such as span, slenderness, etc. on one hand, and crossing parameters such as road surface and driving speed and lane on the other hand, were varied. The consideration of individual parameters turned out to be insufficient, therefore a meta-model in the form of simple equations was formed based on the large data set created. The meta-model combines the influence of several parameters and provides an initial estimate of the expected vibration amplitudes, which supports decision-making in the planning of necessary measures.