STUDENČICA BRIDGE TESTING

Abstract

Studenčica bridge is located at Donji Studenci, to the southwest of Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The bridge is a great feat of engineering. It is built at a height of 88 m above the valley and is 555 m long, with main spans of 120 m. Before the bridge was opened for traffic, it was subjected to a series of tests to verify whether the construction satisfied the criteria regulated by law. Static and dynamic tests were conducted to confirm the safety of the bridge. Before the tests commenced, a numerical model of the bridge was developed and calculated by using a computer program (TOWER), and the calculation results were later compared with the measured values. The static tests comprised measurement of vertical deformation and stress in the construction, and the dynamic test involved measurement of the oscillation frequencies of the bridge. The results were analyzed to check whether the bridge performs as expected and whether it can be opened for traffic.