Vibration Serviceability Issues of Slender Footbridges
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 21, Issue 11
Abstract
Three important issues related to vibration serviceability were investigated in this study using a slender steel footbridge: (1) the evaluation of footbridge vibrations by passive people (standing still on the footbridge) and active people (pedestrians); (2) the increase in vibrations when a group of people walk/run on a footbridge compared with a single pedestrian crossing the structure; and (3) the modal damping ratios for vibration analysis of footbridges. Using the results of a number of dynamic tests, relationships between various evaluation parameters were established, and more reliable and consistent limits based on the vibration dose values (VDVs) are proposed. In addition, a simplified method of computing the acceptable level of peak acceleration based on average number of footbridge crossings per day for the performance-based (usage-based) serviceability design of footbridges is suggested. The investigation on the group effects showed results consistent with those of past studies when the pedestrians crossed the footbridge at the average normal speed of 2 steps/sec. However, the footbridge vibrations resulting from a group of people increased less than the reported value in the literature when people walked randomly and more than the reported value when they moved at the first-mode resonance frequency of the structure. Based on the results of the dynamic field testing of the footbridge, a modal damping ratio of 0.6–0.8% for steel footbridges with timber decking is recommended.
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Acknowledgments
The research presented here was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. CMMI-1335004. This support is gratefully acknowledged. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this paper are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The author acknowledges the assistance of Keith and Marie Zawistowski and Vibrant Technology, Inc., in particular, Dr. Mark Richardson.
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Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 21 • Issue 11 • November 2016
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 8, 2015
Accepted: Apr 27, 2016
Published online: Jun 27, 2016
Published in print: Nov 1, 2016
Discussion open until: Nov 27, 2016
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