Dynamic analyses of composite footbridges excited by pedestrian induced loads

Abstract

In this study, various types of human running dynamic loads are numerically studied and compared to assess serviceability characteristics of light and slender composite footbridges, with and without the implementation of Textile Reinforcement Concrete (TRC) as compliment composite material. Running, which is a common human activity, has been categorized with respect to its intensity as jogging, normal running, and sprinting. In the model verification, the acquired first natural frequency of structure has shown good agreement with the value reported in the literature. The structural performance of the slender composite footbridge is then evaluated in regard to the serviceability requirement given by the current design standards. It is generally found that the maximum acceleration of the composite footbridge due to the excitation of one person running varies under different running types because of diversities in the velocity and the step frequency. Furthermore, it is shown that the investigated structure provides sufficient human comfort against vibration for all examined types of running loads. In the present study, the use of numerous layers of the TRC demonstrates that the serviceability properties are improved by enhancing the layers numbers. Besides, the TRC employing the high strength carbon as fabric is more effective than AR-glass on the improvement of serviceability properties