New Innovative Large-Scale Laboratory Setup for Experiments on Highway Bridge Superstructures Exposed to Wave Forces

TLDR: In this paper, a 1:5 true scale reinforced concrete highway bridge superstructure specimen was constructed and is now being tested under regular and random waves with different wave parameters in a 104 m long wave flume.

Abstract: Recent failures of coastal highway bridges during hurricane events have shown the need for improved modeling and analysis of storm induced wave forces. The damage was attributed to elevated storm surges that enabled larger waves to reach the superstructure and in some cases remove it. Presented is a new large-scale laboratory setup that enables direct measurement of storm induced wave forces on bridge superstructures. A 1:5 true scale reinforced concrete highway bridge superstructure specimen was constructed and is now being tested under regular and random waves with different wave parameters in a 104 m long wave flume. The bridge specimen is instrumented with pressure transducers, strain gages, and six load cells to measure overall horizontal and vertical forces. The stiffness of the horizontal support system can be varied to represent different dynamic properties of the bridge substructure. The experiments will provide needed large-scale data for wave induced forces on coastal highway bridges and permit comparison with existing design and analysis methods. First experiences and a set of preliminary measurements are presented and discussed.