Modelling pedestrian interaction with perceptibly vibrating footbridges

To evaluate the vibration serviceability of footbridge structures most structural engineers use pedestrian force models that are defined for walking on rigid surfaces. This approach is no longer applicable for slender, light-weight and low-frequency structures that are prone to perceptible vibrations under walking excitation. To overcome this issue, it is necessary to understand the pedestrian walking locomotion and how the locomotion process interacts with the vibrating structure. This paper compares three approaches for modelling pedestrian walking over lively structures, and it critically evaluates their suitability for modelling the feedback mechanism between the structure and the pedestrian. The models are evaluated with respect to their capability to reproduce human-like motion as well as to replicate the vibration patterns observed on lively bridges. It has been shown that models used in biomechanics are good candidates for applications in the structural engineering context