Experiences in Testing and Modeling for Bridge Maintenance and Rehabilitation

Field testing of bridges is becoming more and more common these days, as the time, effort, and cost to conduct such tests continues to decreases and the benefit to be realized from the tests are demonstrated. On the other hand, numerical modeling and computation tools for the analysis of bridges continue to improve and to find their way into the mainstream of bridge engineering. The real advantage of testing and modeling comes when the two are used in combination — the test providing data for calibration of the numerical model, and the model providing insight into the behavior of the bridge that can be exploited in developing the test plan and in interpreting the test results. The paper discusses three actual projects in which testing along with modeling were or are being used together in the maintenance and rehabilitation of the structures. The examples include a steel tied-arch with fatigue cracks, an ambient vibration survey of a steel truss, and load tests and in-service monitoring of a viaduct.