This paper presents the results of a recent field test carried out before the opening phases of the Szapáry motorway bridge across the Tisza River in central Hungary. The evaluation test was based on static and dynamic load tests that provided information on deflection, stresses, and dynamic mode shapes along the bridge. The structure has two large continuous independent steel box girders that cover spans across the floodplain and river. Various configurations of truck loading applied up to 6400 kN of loading on the deck. During the static tests, string potentiometers recorded deflections at mid-span. Additionally, strain gauges enabled strain/stress measurements at the mid-point of the longest span and directly above one support. Dynamic loadings showed variation in deflection response due to vehicle speed, and ambient vibration testing led to determining vibration modes and frequencies. A three-dimensional finite-element model produced similar deflections, stresses, and modal behavior. Measured and modeled deflections and stresses indicated that the bridge performed within design margins. The testing and analysis results will be part of a future program assessing conditioned-based maintenance.

Due to their distinct features, including structural simplicity and exceptional load-carrying capacity, steel box girder bridges play a critical role in transportation networks. However, they are categorized as fracture-critical structures and face significant challenges. These challenges stem from the overloading and the relentless effects of corrosion and aging on critical structural components. As a result, these bridges require thorough inspections to ensure their safety and integrity. This paper introduces generalized approaches based on vibration-based structural health monitoring in response to this need. This approach assesses the condition of critical members in a steel girder bridge and evaluates their sensitivity to damage. A rigorous analytical evaluation demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach in evaluating the Szapáry multi-span continuous highway bridge under various damage scenarios. This evaluation necessitates extensive vibration measurements, with piezoelectric sensors capturing ambient vibrations and developing detailed finite element models of the bridge to simulate the structural behavior accurately. The results obtained from this study showed that bridge frequencies are sufficiently sensitive for identifying significant fractures in long bridges. However, the mode shape results show a better resolution when compared to the frequency changes. The findings are usually sensitive enough to identify damage at the affected locations. Amplitude changes in the mode shape help determine the location of damage. The modal assurance criterion (MAC) served to identify damage as well. Finally, the results show a distinct pattern of frequency and mode shape variations for every damage scenario, which helps to identify the damage type, severity, and location along the bridge. The analysis results reported in this study serve as a reference benchmark for the Szapáry Bridge health monitoring.

Cracking in composite steel-concrete bridge decks is a common problem in civil engineering. Before, or shortly after, the bridge is subjected to live loads; various levels of cracking can appear, mostly due to plastic shrinkage and temperature effects. This paper presents an investigation of the behavior of cracked concrete in a composite deck slab of a railway bridge supported by steel girders using the finite element method. Eurocode 4-2 proposes a few simplified methods for calculating shrinkage and cracking effects in concrete. Through the proposed methods of analysis, an analytical simulation of a continuous composite steel-concrete bridge deck is performed and some practical recommendations for analyzing beam girders of this type are given.

The harsh climate and environmental hazards contribute to the structural damage of steel bridges. Substantial dynamic loading from heavy trucks can worsen existing cracks. This paper investigates the dynamic behavior of a steel box girder bridge, the Szapáry bridge, with a fractured girder subjected to moving truck loads. Initially, a finite element model simulates the seven-span continuous bridge behavior during static load testing. The model also accurately simulated the dynamic load tests performed. A series of hypothetical damage (fractured girder) and dynamic loading scenarios reveal the effects of truck positions on the damaged bridge’s dynamic response. Dynamic displacement induced due to traffic loading helps evaluate a bridge’s structural health. Results of the parametric analysis highlight that several factors, including truck velocity and position, bridge span length, and truck lateral spacing, significantly affect the dynamic vibration of the fractured bridge. The results offer insight into the effectiveness of dynamic response analysis for conditioned-based maintenance and damage detection.