Displacements of shell in soil-steel bridge subjected to moving load: determination using strain gauge measurements and numerical simulation

Abstract This paper analyses displacements of a shell in a soil-steel bridge subjected to quasi-static moving loads. The considerations relate to a large span structure located in Ostróda, Poland. In particular, shell displacements during a loading cycle consisting of consecutive passages of a pair of trucks over the bridge are investigated. The results of a full-scale test, that is, the readings from a system of strain gauges arranged along the shell circumferential section, are the basis for determination of shell displacements. The proposed algorithm makes it possible to calculate any component of the displacement using just a simple model of the shell in the form of a linear elastic curvilinear beam. The approach uses real measurements, and thus, it yields results of displacements reflecting the actual mechanical behaviour of the entire composite structure including not only the shell, but also the backfill, the pavement, etc. The calculated state of displacement sets the basis for calibration of the numerical model. Finite element (FE) analyses include staged construction, that is, backfilling the shell by placing successive soil layers, as well as the loading test with the vehicles moving over the bridge. It is demonstrated that the ballasting of the shell during backfilling contributes to the improvement of the simulated behaviour of the object at the stage of operation, that is, when subjected to moving truck load. Thus, the calibration of the FE model is successfully carried out using the results of strain gauge measurements.