Finite element model updating of a PSC box girder bridge using ambient vibration test

Abstract

In this paper, in-field ambient vibration testing of a highway bridge in South Korea under traffic loadings has been conducted to update its finite element model for future predictive analysis and diagnosis purpose. The research results presented in this paper are outcomes from an international REU (Research Experience for Undergraduates) program in smart structures funded by US-NSF (National Science Foundation) and hosted abroad by the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). The monitoring, modeling, and model updating of civil infrastructures are vital in maintaining new design and maintenance standards. Using the frequency domain decomposition (FDD), experimental modal properties of the structure were found and, after a finite element model was created and updated based on the modal properties. From the results, it has been concluded that (a) the FDD method successfully identified the modal characteristics of the structure from ambient vibration, (b) that model updating improved the accuracy of the finite element model, (c) Representing the structural supports as springs in the FEM improved the results from the ideally supported model.