MONITORING BRIDGE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR USING AN

INSTRUMENTED TWO AXLE VEHICLE

P.J. McGETRICK, A. GONZÁLEZ & E.J.OBRIEN

School of Architecture, Landscape and Civil Engineering, University College Dublin,

Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland

Abstract
Highway structures such as bridges are subject to continuous degradation primarily
due to ageing, loading and environmental factors. A rational transport policy must
monitor and provide adequate maintenance to this infrastructure to guarantee the
required levels of transport service and safety. Increasingly in recent years, bridges are
being instrumented and monitored on an ongoing basis due to the implementation of
Bridge Management Systems. This is very effective and provides a high level of
protection to the public and early warning if the bridge becomes unsafe. However, the
process can be expensive and time consuming, requiring the installation of sensors
and data acquisition electronics on the bridge. This paper investigates the use of an
instrumented 2-axle vehicle fitted with accelerometers to monitor the dynamic
behaviour of a bridge network in a simple and cost-effective manner. A simplified
half car-beam interaction model is used to simulate the passage of a vehicle over a
bridge. This investigation involves the frequency domain analysis of the axle
accelerations as the vehicle crosses the bridge. The spectrum of the acceleration
record contains noise, vehicle, bridge and road frequency components. Therefore, the
bridge dynamic behaviour is monitored in simulations for both smooth and rough road
surfaces. The vehicle mass and axle spacing are varied in simulations along with
bridge structural damping in order to analyse the sensitivity of the vehicle
accelerations to a change in bridge properties. These vehicle accelerations can be
obtained for different periods of time and serve as a useful tool to monitor the
variation of bridge frequency and damping with time.

Keywords: Bridge, Monitoring, Transportation

1. Introduction

For widespread implementation of Bridge Management Systems, a large number of

bridges must be instrumented and monitored. Given the very large number of bridges
that are not instrumented, some alternative method is needed to detect any change in
behaviour of the structure which may indicate some form of damage. This paper
investigates the use of a vehicle fitted with accelerometers on its axles to monitor the
dynamics of bridges. The frequency of a bridge may vary significantly during short
periods of time as result of environmental conditions, but a change in bridge
frequency over long periods of time may be a clear sign of deterioration. Damping has
also been shown to be a damage sensitive parameter (Curadelli et al, 2008; Modena et
al, 1999). This approach reduces the need for any equipment to be installed on the
bridge and would allow the assessment of bridge condition to become a simplified and
considerably less time consuming process. It would bring about more efficient

P. J. McGetrick, A. González & E.J. OBrien -1-

monitoring of the condition of existing bridges in a transport network while its
development would enable maintenance to be undertaken at an earlier stage in
degradation, which in general results in more economical repairs.
Yang et al (2004) theoretically verified the feasibility of extracting bridge dynamic
parameters from the dynamic response of a vehicle passing over a bridge. The
approach investigated by Yang et al employed a vehicle instrumented with
accelerometers acting as a ‘message carrier’ of the dynamic properties of the bridge.
The bridge was assumed to be a simply supported beam while a simplified sprung
mass model represented the vehicle. The bridge natural frequency was extracted from
the vehicle acceleration spectrum of the sprung mass and they found that the
magnitude of the bridge natural frequency peak increased with vehicle speed but
decreased with increasing bridge damping ratio.
Experimental investigations of this method have been carried out by Lin and Yang
(2005) and González et al (2008). Lin and Yang validated the method in field tests
using a two wheeled cart fitted with an accelerometer which was towed by a light two
axle truck across a simply supported 30m span of a six span bridge. They found that
the bridge frequency was easily identified at vehicle speeds less than 40 km/h
(11.11m/s) but at higher speeds the bridge frequency becomes hidden by high
frequency components from pavement roughness and cart structure. They also found
that carrying out the field test while traffic was crossing the bridge had a beneficial
effect as it increased the vehicle response.
The experimental analysis by González et al consisted of a field test on a main
route near Oviedo, Northern Spain. A vehicle instrumented with accelerometers and
GPS was driven over a long-span bridge (9 spans of lengths between 41 and 50 m,
total length of 423.5 m) to obtain its frequencies. Their analysis of the technique also
included a 3-D FEM vehicle-bridge interaction (VBI) model in which the method was
tested numerically for various speeds, road roughness, damping levels and traffic
conditions. They concluded that it is only feasible to extract the bridge frequency
accurately from the dynamic response of the vehicle at low speeds and also when the
bridge dynamic excitation is sufficiently high as the interference of road surface
profile frequencies corrupt the spectrum and prevent the identification of the bridge
natural frequency.
A theoretical investigation of the identification of bridge dynamic parameters using
a 2-degree-of-freedom quarter-car model was carried out by McGetrick et al (2009).
The aim of the investigation was to identify not only bridge frequencies of vibration
but also a change in the bridge’s structural damping. McGetrick et al conclude that the
bridge’s frequency of vibration and structural damping can be identified with ease
from the dynamic response of the quarter car for a smooth road profile, while in the
presence of a rough road profile the same properties become very difficult to identify.
González et al (2010) extended the analysis by McGetrick et al to a 4-degree-of-
freedom half-car model and they found similar conclusions. Therefore, they noted that
frequency matching between the axle hop of the vehicle and the natural frequency of
the bridge is beneficial for the detection of that bridge frequency. The effect of a
change in bridge damping on the vehicle response appeared reasonably small
compared to the effect of a change in the road profile.
This paper builds upon the theoretical analysis carried out by González et al. The
aim is to carry out a sensitivity study of some parameters that affect the dynamic
response of the vehicle and as a result, the identification of the natural frequency of
vibration of the bridge and changes in structural damping. A VBI simulation model is
created in MATLAB for this purpose. The spectra of accelerations of the front axle

2 P. J. McGetrick, A. González & E.J. OBrien

are obtained from the dynamic response of the half-car as it crosses the bridge. The
dominant frequencies of vibration are extracted from the acceleration spectra and
compared to the exact bridge or half-car frequencies. As González et al included a
study of various bridge span lengths this paper focuses only on a 15 metre bridge
span. Bridge structural damping is varied from 0% to 5% (in steps of 1%). 0% bridge
damping is only a reference point, although some long-span bridges may exhibit
damping ratios as low as 0.3%. The vehicle properties varied in simulations are axle
spacing (3.75 and 4.45 metres) and gross vehicle weight (9 and 18 tonnes). Two road
conditions are tested: smooth and ISO Class A. The results will indicate the conditions
in which this method can be used to monitor bridge dynamic properties with a
sufficient degree of accuracy.

2. Vehicle – Bridge Interaction Model

A theoretical half-car model is used to represent the behaviour of the vehicle. The
model has 4-degrees-of-freedom which allows for axle hop, sprung mass bounce and
sprung mass pitch rotation. The body of the vehicle is represented by the sprung mass,
ms, and the front and rear axle components are represented by unsprung masses, mu1
and mu2 respectively. The axle mass connects to the road surface via a spring of
stiffness Kt, while the body mass is connected to the tyre by a spring of stiffness Ks in
combination with a viscous damper of value Cs modelling the suspension. Tyre
damping is assumed to be negligible and thus is omitted. The model also accounts for
the sprung mass moment of inertia, Is, and the distance of each axle to the vehicle’s
centre of gravity, i.e., D1 and D2 in Table 1. The centre of gravity of the vehicle is
taken to be equidistant from each axle (D1 = D2), i.e., body weight equally distributed
between axles. The half-car property values are listed in Table 1 and are based on
values obtained from work by Harris et al (2007) and Cebon (1999).

Table 1 - Half car properties

Symbol GVW = 9 tonnes GVW = 18 tonnes

Property Unit
i=1,2 Model Model Model Model
Body mass kg ms 7600 16600
Axle mass kg mui 1100 1100
Suspension
N/m Ksi 1 × 106 1 × 106
Stiffness
Suspension
Ns/m Csi 10 × 103 10 × 103
Damping
Tyre Stiffness N/m Kti 3.5 × 106 3.5 × 106
Moment of Inertia kg m2 Is 26462 35043 61485 81423
Distance of axle i to
m Di 1.875 2.225 1.875 2.225
centre of gravity
Axle hop frequency Hz faxle1 10.27 10.27 10.21 10.22

The half-car travels at constant speed, c, over a simply supported Euler-Bernoulli

beam which has constant cross section and mass per unit length, µ = 28125 kg/m. It

P. J. McGetrick, A. González & E.J. OBrien -3-

has span L = 15 metres, modulus of elasticity E = 3.5 × 1010 N/m2, second moment of
area J = 0.5273 m4 and structural damping ξ which varies from 0% to 5%. The first
natural frequency of the bridge, fbridge1, is 5.66 Hz. Prior knowledge of this frequency
is assumed here. In practice this can be obtained using a method described by Yang et
al (2004), Lin and Yang (2005) and González et al (2008).
The simulation of the half-car crossing the beam is described by a system of
coupled differential equations and is based on the approach proposed by Frýba (1999).
The system of equations is solved using the Wilson-Theta integration scheme
(Tedesco et al, 1999). The value of θ used is 1.420815.

3. Smooth Road Profile Results

The simulations in this section are performed using the VBI model outlined in Section
2 with a smooth road surface profile. The bridge structural damping is varied in the
simulations along with the half-car mass and axle spacing. The exact frequencies of
the bridge and half-car given in Section 2 will be compared to the frequencies in the
spectra obtained from the vehicle accelerations. The scanning frequency used in all
simulations is 8192 Hz.

3.1 Sensitivity of Vehicle Accelerations to Damping

An example of the power spectra of accelerations obtained from the front axle of the
half-car as it crosses the 15 metre bridge are shown in Figure 1 for a vehicle velocity
of 22m/s, 3.75m axle spacing and 18 tonne GVW. All simulated structural damping
levels (0% to 5%) are represented on this figure. A clear peak is visible at 6 Hz which
corresponds to the first natural frequency of the bridge, fbridge1. The resolution of the
acceleration spectrum is ± 0.25 Hz which causes a slight deviation between the
spectrum peak and the dashed line representing the bridge frequency. The accuracy of
this peak could be improved by driving the vehicle at a lower velocity to increase the
number of measurements which would result in a higher frequency resolution.

Figure 1 - Acceleration spectra (PSD in m2/s3) for front axle of 18 tonne half-car
travelling over bridge with smooth road profile.

It can be seen that there is a decrease in Power Spectral Density (PSD) magnitude
for increasing structural damping level at this peak. The sensitivity of this decrease to
a 1% change in damping is greater for changes between lower levels of damping. For

4 P. J. McGetrick, A. González & E.J. OBrien

example, in this figure, for a change from 0% to 1% damping, the sensitivity of the
PSD is 18.5% and from 1% to 2% the sensitivity is 18%. This sensitivity is obtained
by calculating the difference between the PSD peaks and dividing it by the PSD peak
magnitude at the lower damping level. This trend remained when other vehicle
parameters were investigated.
The peak PSD is very sensitive to a change in damping when the bridge surface is
smooth, which suggests that this peak could be used for periodic monitoring of bridge
structural damping in these ideal conditions. It should be noted that results are shown
for a vehicle velocity of 22m/s (80km/h) which corresponds to highway speeds, i.e.
the instrumented vehicle would not cause traffic disruption while monitoring a bridge.

3.2 Effect of Vehicle Mass and Axle Spacing

Vehicle mass and axle spacing have been varied in simulations to investigate their
effect on the ability to detect bridge frequency and structural damping from the
acceleration spectrum. Results are shown in Figure 2 for a vehicle velocity of 22m/s.
Only the spectra of axle accelerations for 2% and 3% damping are plotted, which is
representative of the trend occurring for other damping levels. Figure 2(a) illustrates
that as vehicle mass increases, the magnitude of the PSD at the bridge peak for a
smooth profile increases which would improve sensitivity of the algorithm. Figure
2(b) illustrates that as axle spacing increases, the magnitude of the PSD at the bridge
peak decreases which suggests that it is more favourable for the instrumented vehicle
to have a shorter axle spacing. However, the relative sensitivities of the PSD peaks to
changes in damping do not vary significantly with vehicle mass or axle spacing. For
the 18t model with axle spacing of 3.75m, sensitivity between 2% and 3% is 17.5%,
for the 9t model the equivalent value is 17.9% and for the 18t model with axle spacing
of 4.45m the sensitivity is 17.2%.

(a) (b)

Figure 2 – Acceleration spectra (PSD in m2/s3) for front axle of half-car crossing
bridge with smooth road profile varying: (a) vehicle mass (axle spacing is 3.75m) and
(b) axle spacing (vehicle mass is 18t).

4. Rough Road Profile Results

A rough road profile is now included in the simulations. The road irregularities of this
profile are randomly generated according to ISO (1995) for a ‘very good’ profile or
road class ‘A’. As for the smooth profile simulations, the structural damping is varied

P. J. McGetrick, A. González & E.J. OBrien -5-

along with the half-car mass and axle spacing. The scanning frequency used in all
simulations is 8192 Hz.

4.1 Sensitivity of Vehicle Accelerations to Damping

The spectra of accelerations obtained from the front axle of the half-car during the
rough road profile simulation are shown in Figure 3(a) for a vehicle GVW of 18t with
axle spacing 3.75m travelling at 22m/s. The resolution of the acceleration spectra is ±
0.25Hz. A large peak is visible in this figure which corresponds to the front axle hop
frequency of the half-car, faxle1 (Table 1). However, there is no clear peak in the region
around the first natural frequency of the 15 metre bridge. Also, it is not possible to
distinguish between the different spectra for each damping level at the scale used in
the figure. The rough road profile clearly interferes with the ability to detect bridge
frequency and changes in structural damping and it governs the dynamic response of
the vehicle. Comparing to the PSD magnitudes of Figure 1, the ISO class ‘A’ road
profile produces a dynamic vehicle response which is approximately 200 times larger
than the response due to a perfectly smooth road profile.
Despite the influence of the rough road profile and although it would be necessary
to zoom into the figure to visualize the differences in PSDs, it is possible to capture
changes in damping in the region of the first natural frequency of the bridge (fbridge1).
Thus, Figure 3(b) shows that by analysing the spectra at a frequency of 6Hz, which
corresponds to the bridge peak obtained for a smooth profile in Figure 1, the PSD is
still reasonably sensitive to changes in damping with an average sensitivity of 18%.
The sensitivity to a 1% change in damping is greater for changes between lower levels
of damping, a trend that was also observed in Section 3.1.

(b)

(a)

Figure 3 – (a) Acceleration spectra (PSD in m2/s3) and (b) Sensitivity of PSD of
accelerations for front axle of 18 tonne half-car travelling over bridge with rough road
profile.

4.2 Effect of Vehicle Mass and Axle Spacing

The relationships between vehicle mass and axle spacing and peak PSD magnitude in
simulations with rough road profile are illustrated in Figure 4 for a vehicle velocity of
22m/s and two damping levels: 2% and 3%. Similarly to the smooth road profile, the
peak PSD magnitude increases for increasing vehicle mass (Figure 4(a)). However,
Figure 4(b) illustrates that as axle spacing increases the magnitude of the peak PSD
for a rough profile does not vary significantly.

6 P. J. McGetrick, A. González & E.J. OBrien

 (a) (b)

Figure 4 – Acceleration spectra (PSD in m2/s3) for front axle of half-car crossing
bridge with rough road profile varying (a) vehicle mass (axle spacing is 3.75m) and
(b) axle spacing (vehicle mass is 18t).

5. Conclusions

This paper has investigated the use of an instrumented two-axle vehicle to monitor the
dynamic parameters of a bridge. The results show that it is possible to detect the
bridge frequency from the vehicle vibration for smooth road profiles but it is more
difficult to do so with rougher road profiles. This finding is in agreement with past
studies. Using a heavier vehicle would increase the bridge deflection and thus increase
the bridge influence on the vehicle vibration, improving results for a rough road
profile. This paper has shown that the magnitude of PSD at the bridge frequency
decreases with increasing bridge damping. This decrease is obtained and quantified
easily for a smooth profile due to the presence of a dominant bridge frequency peak.
For a rough road profile there is no such bridge peak but by analysing the spectrum in
the region of the bridge frequency, changes in PSD exist due to changes in damping.
The magnitude of the PSD for an axle of the half-car was found to increase for
decreasing axle spacing for a smooth road profile and for increasing vehicle mass.
Further study is required for the removal or reduction of the influence of the road
profile roughness on the vehicle response to enable the development of an
instrumented vehicle as an efficient low-cost method for monitoring bridge dynamic
behaviour.

6. Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their gratitude for the financial support received from the
7th European Framework ASSET Project towards this investigation.

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