Static Loading Test Based Validating Current Gerber Hinge Status of Existing Steel Cantilever Through Truss Bridge

When a structure was in insufficient condition, its material, and geometric properties, encompassing alters of boundaries' status and system connectivity could also be different to as-designed original condition. In this research, a static loading field test was carried-out on a bridge to evaluate its current status of hinges and bearings. The target bridge named Chousei Bridge for 77 in-service years is a steel cantilever through-truss bridge structured by suspended spans and cantilever spans connected via Gerber hinges. A series of sensors of strain and displacement were established to measure the response to the test loads. The bridge is then simulated as 3D finite element model with differentiating the hinges' condition considered as certain stiffness springs. Performing a comparison between the analytical results to the experimental results indicates that each hinge's current status is different to the others instead of the same stiffness parameter as original state.