General Information

Figure 1 shows a pedestrian truss bridge.

Truss bridge.
Deck truss bridge over a reservoir.
Main span ≅ 24 m
Type Deck truss bridge
Truss material Steel
Truss height ≅ 1 m
Deck width ≅ 1 m

Mid-Width Verticals

Figure 2 shows a schematic lateral view of the bridge.

Deck Truss bridge.
Lateral drawing of a deck truss bridge

The girder has a slight curvature, and the rise r ≅ 1.3 m. The deck is made of timber planks; the mid-span region is horizontal and 0.5 m wider. The girder consists of chords, verticals, diagonals (upward-sloping toward the mid-span), cross-members, and braces. Figure 3 shows a truss sector.

Truss girder.
Steel truss girder of a deck truss bridge.

The stringers are made of rectangular hollow sections, the plan cross-braces are made of rebars, and the remaining members are made of circular hollow sections. Mid-width verticals are installed along the entire span; they are connected to the bottom cross-members, the upper cross-members, and the inverted V-braces. Figure 4 shows a stringer to upper cross-member connection.

Stringer to upper cross-member connection.
Connection between stringer and upper cross member.

The stringer is welded directly to the upper cross-member.

  • What is the purpose of the mid-width verticals?
  • Pedestrian-Induced Vibration

    Figure 5 shows a lateral view of the bridge in the support region.

    Deck truss bridge.
    Abutment region of a deck truss bridge.

    The bottom chords are connected to the abutments by base plates and anchor bolts. Figure 6 shows a schematic lateral view of the bridge.

    Deck truss bridge.
    Lateral drawing of a deck truss bridge.

    The red arrow (F1/F2) represents dynamic foot forces of a single person with open legs acting in the mid-span region, as shown in figure 7.

    Mid-span region.
    Mid-span region of a deck truss bridge.

    The excitation is as follows: when F1 is maximal, then F2 ≅ 0; when F2 is maximal, then F1 ≅ 0; synchronize F1 and F2 with the dynamic response. Video 1 shows the vibration with the camera placed on the deck (mid-width axis).

    Video 1. Vibration during foot-induced dynamic loading.
  • Which type of vibration is observable?
    What is a possible frequency (Hz) assumption of the above shown vibration?
    Is a structural safety problem due to pedestrian loads possible?
    Which are the main factors (except F1 and F2) that affect the above shown vibration?