Experimental validation of a drive-by stiffness identification method for bridge monitoring

 An experimental investigation is carried out to verify the feasibility of using an instrumented vehicle to detect and monitor bridge dynamic parameters. The low cost method consists of the use of a moving vehicle fitted with accelerometers on its axles. In the laboratory experiment, the vehicle-bridge interaction model consists of a scaled two-axle vehicle model crossing a simply supported steel beam. The bridge model also includes a scaled road surface profile. The effects of varying the vehicle model configuration and speed are investigated. A finite element beam model is calibrated using the experimental results and a novel algorithm for the identification of global bridge stiffness is validated. Using measured vehicle accelerations as input to the algorithm, the beam stiffness is identified with a reasonable degree of accuracy.