Serviceability assessment of composite footbridge under human walking and running loads

Abstract

Footbridge responses under loads induced by human remain amongst the least explored matters, due to various uncertainties in determining the description of the imposed loadings. To address this gap, serviceability of an existing composite footbridge under human walking and running loadings is analyzed dynamically in this paper employing a finite element approach. The composite footbridge is made-up of a reinforced concrete slab simply supported at two ends on top of two T-section steel beams. To model the walking and running loads, a harmonic force function is applied as the vibration source at the center of the bridge. In the model verification, the computed natural frequency of footbridge exhibits a good agreement with that reported in literature. The vibration responses in terms of peak acceleration and displacement are computed, from which they are then compared with the current design standards for assessment. It is found that the maximum accelerations and displacements of composite footbridge in presence of excitations from one person walking and running satisfy the serviceability limitation recommended by the existing codes of practice. In conclusion, the studied footbridge offers sufficient human safety and comfort against vibration under investigated load prescription.