Static and Dynamic Load Tests on the Bridge Vahrendorfer Stadtweg

Abstract: Load tests are an essential tool to ensure the compliance of bridges with their design specifications. In this paper, a series of static and dynamic load tests on the bridge Vahrendorfer Stadtweg are documented. The bridge is equipped with a long-term Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system, providing data on an entire seasonal cycle. The objectives of the static and dynamic tests are (i) to capture the bridge's current condition under various loading scenarios while identifying potential structural weaknesses, (ii) to evaluate the system's sensitivity to small mass variations, and (iii) to generate data for model calibration and validation of anomaly detection algorithms by simulating a design load case. Additionally, the paper conducts plausibility checks on the measurement data and outlines the measurement campaign. In particular, the long-term reference measurements and the time-synchronous additional measurements during the load test have provided an appropriate data set, which can be used in the future to validate finite element models and damage detection algorithms. Follow-up publications will analyze the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) data in collaboration with multiple research groups. The collected data will also be made available upon request for academic research purposes.