Two mass-tuned footbridges, Belgium

For footbridge which show potential users’ comfort issues under dynamic loading, a simple, low-cost and lowmaintenance remedy – called “mass-tuning” – can be applied in specific cases. This paper will present the application of this solution for two projects – respectively the Bears cage footbridge in Brussels (Belgium) and the Graaf Alardsingel Bridge, also called t’ Groentje (meaning The Little Green in Dutch), in Nijmegen (The Netherlands).

The author’s intention is not to produce another paper explaining the theoretical background and presenting scientific results, but to tell two stories, discuss a practical approach of such dynamic issues and its consequences for the designer, the client and the contractor.