Inspection and model experiment of a damaged arch bridge

The structural behavior of an old six-span reinforced concrete arch bridge, which has been in service for about 40 years, is investigated. Field monitoring (inclusive of test of material property, static and dynamic test of the bridge) was conducted, static and dynamic responses of the bridge are obtained. Based on the primitive bridge, a scaled one-span bridge model was fabricated by organic-glasses. Both the static and dynamic tests were executed on the bridge model in the laboratory. Since the arch rib is the crucial member for the arch bridge, 7 notches were cut on both arch ribs of the bridge model to simulate different damages of the arch rib. Mechanical responses of the bridge with different damages on the arch ribs were achieved. FEM analyses were preformed on the bridge as well. Numerical results show good agreement with the experimental results.