Modal parameter identification for regular bridges using vehicle sensing technique: Simulation and experiment

Modal parameter identification has been considered as one of the key issues in the research of the indirect bridge structural health monitoring. A new indirect approach is proposed to identify the modal properties of short and medium span bridges, using acceleration of stationary vehicles on the bridge. The stochastic subspace identification method is adopted to identify the frequency and damping ratio of the bridge structure. Physical experiments were performed on a 6m+10m+6m continuous steel girder bridge equipped with structural health monitoring system to investigate the fidelity of the approach. The experimental results show that the approach can identify the bridge modal properties with efficiency and accuracy, providing promise towards a highly mobile and cost-effective structural inspection system for wide bridge stock coverage.