Soil-Structure Interaction Effects on the Response of Meloland Bridge

A study related to the experimental data obtained from the full-scale tests of Meloland Road overcrossing is presented. The major objective of this study is to demonstrate that the soil structure interaction effects play a significant role in the dynamic response of the structure. Initially, the results from the static deformation of the bridge under the quick-release loads are presented. These results were obtained by applying a special integration technique on the experimental acceleration records. Then a preliminary analytical model of the bridge is fitted to the experimental data in order to evaluate the values of the soil-structure springs along with other parameters of the bridge. Finally, a Finite Element model for the foundation of the pier was developed in order to obtain the load- (or strain-) dependent values of the pier foundation stiffnesses. These values are compared to those obtained from the bridge model