Model calibration of metsovo bridge using ambient vibration measurements from various construction phases

Abstract

Available methods for structural model updating are employed to develop high fidelity models of the soil-foundation-structure of Metsovo bridge using ambient vibration measurements. The Metsovo bridge, the highest bridge of the Egnatia Odos Motorway, is a two-branch balanced cantilever ravine bridge. Ambient vibration measurements are available during different construction phases of the bridge. Operational modal analysis software is used to obtain the modal characteristics of the bridge for the various sets of vibration measurements. The modal characteristics are then used to update a detailed numerical model of the bridge based on solid finite elements. A Bayesian method for parameter estimation is used for estimating the parameters of the soil-foundation-structure models under the different construction phases. The inference is based on modal properties identified using the experimental measurements from a number of sensor configuration setups. HPC based on the Transitional MCMC technique, integrated with model reduction tools and surrogate XTMCMC techniques, are used to carry out the Bayesian parameter inference. The discrepancies in the identified parameters using ambient vibrations under the different construction phases are discussed. The effectiveness of the updated models and their predictive capabilities are assessed.