Bridges

This report provides a summary of dynamic testing carried out on approximately 80 bridges in Australia and New Zealand. It compares the results of these tests with the current Dynamic Load Allowance (DLA) provisions in the Australian Bridge Design Code and makes recommendations for extrapolating and modifying these provisions. As part of this project vehicle bridge interaction (VBI) software was developed to analyse the theoretical response of a bridge to vehicles with different suspensions, travelling at a range of speeds over nominated road profiles. The software was used to perform a parametric study of the critical variables including: vehicle suspension, mass and speed; road profile; and bridge span, frequency, flexibility, and damping.