Current literature on the performance characteristics of road surfaces is primarily focused on evenness, roughness and technical durability. However, other important surface properties require analysis, including noisiness, which is an important feature of the environmental impact of vehicular traffic around roads. This can be studied using various methods by which road noise phenomena are investigated. The method used to measure the noise performance of road surfaces herein is the Statistical Pass-By (SPB) method, as described in ISO 11819-1:1997. The impedance tube method was used for sound absorption testing, as described in ISO 13472-2:2010. These tests were performed under a variety of conditions: in situ and in laboratory. The existence of relationships between them can be helpful in selecting surfaces for noise reduction. Preliminary surface noise tests can be performed in the laboratory with samples consisting of various compounds. This is less expensive and faster than doing so on purpose-built surfaces. The paper presents study results for sound absorption coefficients of various types of low-noise surfaces in in situ conditions (on an experimental section and on operated road sections) and in the laboratory setting. The results of the tests performed on the operational sections were compared to the results of the surface impact on road noise using the SPB method. The correlations between the test results help confirm the feasibility of road surface pre-testing in the laboratory and the relation to tests performed using the SPB method under typical operating conditions.

The noise generated at the interface between the wheels of vehicles and the road surface is well recognized in the literature worldwide. Many publications describe the phenomenon of reducing this kind of impact by silent road surfaces. A specific type of this noise is the sound generated by vehicles passing over the expansion joints of bridge structures. Due to the impulsive nature of this sound, it is very onerous for people living in the close vicinity of bridge structures. The passage of vehicles over expansion joints causes the formation of vibrations that are transmitted to the structural elements of bridge structures, which may cause the formation of the material sounds (especially arduous in the case of bridges with steel elements). An attempt to reduce this impact was made by making a prototype acoustic cover of the expansion joint on the selected bridge. The paper presents the results of research on the “in situ” acoustic effectiveness of this cover. Additionally, the noise was modelled in the object surroundings before and after the cover’s application. The acoustic efficiency of the cover in the whole measured frequency range was 5.3 dBA. In the narrower frequency bands (1/3 octave bands), larger sound level reductions were observed. The maximum sound levels measured under the tested dilatation were less than 10.0 dBA lower than the maximum sound levels measured under the reference dilatation.

The paper deals with the verification of various numerical models in relation to the pilot-phase measurements of a rail bridge subjected to dynamic loading. Three types of FEM models were elaborated for this purpose. Static, modal and dynamic analyses were performed. The study consisted of measuring the acceleration values of the structural components of the object at the moment of the train passing. Based on this, FFT analysis was performed, the main natural frequencies of the bridge were determined, the structural damping ratio and the dynamic amplification factor (DAF) were calculated and compared with the standard values. Calculations were made using Autodesk Simulation Multiphysics (Algor).

The development of materials engineering has facilitated the design of slender, light bridges replacing standard construction materials with others, which fulfil their purpose both in terms of structural behaviour and safety. This article focuses on the presentation of the problems related to the modelling of bridges and their loads modelling train passages, as well as an analysis of the influence of load parameters on the dynamic response of a structure. The problem has become essential with the development of materials engineering which enabled the design of slender and light bridges according to the assumptions of sustainable development. The article contains a number of numerical analyses which allowed the verification of the developed finite element bridge model (frame and plate-frame types) in terms of the possibility of using them at the design stage. The load was modelled as a system of concentrated forces, the so-called moving load (ML) model. The results obtained from theoretical analyses were compared within situmeasurements of the existing bridge subjected to the load variable in time (set of locomotives ST43 and ST45 and locomotive EP09). It has been found that in dynamic analysis, modelling of the load is essential. A simplified load model such as ML can be used when displacement values are the only results analysed in detail. ML and finite element plate and frame models give high accordance of the displacement results.

Cable-stayed bridges are stunning structures, which thanks to their dimensionsand shapes fascinate not a single observer. Designing such an object is awesomechallenge for designers. These structures must transfer forces resulting from dead load,operational loads, temperature changes and coming from wind pressure. Nowadays, eachcable-stayed bridge and suspension bridge must be subjected to special analysis to guaranteesafe usage. Designers cannot allow the situation, which took place on November7th,1940 in north-western part of the United States of America near the town Tacoma,where the collapse of the suspension bridge occured. The structure was destroyed as theresult of coincidence of natural vibrations and the dynamic wind action. Authors of thepaper undertake the task to provide dynamic analysis of Solidarity Bridge in Płock exposedto the wind action. The mentioned structure is the longest cable-stayed bridge in Poland andat the same time, the longest in the world with the arch suspended at one axis to the columnarpylon fixed to a platform. Additionally static analysis is made in order to verify horizontaland vertical displacements as the result of combined variable loads.

FRP composite bridges have been in operation since the mid-1990s, allowing for the evaluation of their long-term behaviour. Many of the early FRP bridges in the USA and Western Europe were equipped with monitoring systems to assess their structural integrity after years of use. In Poland, the first all-FRP composite bridge was also equipped with a modern structural health monitoring (SHM) system based on distributed fibre optic sensing (DFOS) to enable long-term performance monitoring. Over nearly a decade of use, the bridge’s strain, stiffness, and dynamic properties have been evaluated three times through static and dynamic load tests. Research findings indicate that the bridge has maintained satisfactory structural integrity and durability over an eight-year operational period. However, the quality of the adhesive joints between the girders and the deck panels was found to be inadequate, resulting in a slight decrease in the bridge’s performance, specifically in stiffness and dynamic characteristics. Fortunately, these negative changes did not compromise the bridge’s safety or serviceability, as stipulated by the design requirements. An effective repair was completed, restoring the bridge to its full operational efficiency.