Moving dynamic test loads for road bridges - a case study

Two types of dynamic testing load for bridges - driving sprung mass and driving impulse load - areexamined from the drive-by identification point of view. Numerical studies in ANSYS using contact elements and in MATLAB using a modal solution together with coupling force were performed. Equations for the estimation of the impulse load caused by a rolling cogwheel were suggested. The experiments confirmed that a driving impulse load is more efficient in exciting bridge vibrations. This, together with the fact that impulse loading is not sensitive to surface roughness, leads to the conclusion that, as a method for bridge health monitoring, impulse loading is more promising than using a driving sprung mas