Weigh in Motion Measurement and Experimental Fatigue Assessment of a Railway Bridge

Fatigue represents one of the most diffused failure modes in steel railway bridges. Phenomena such as "vibration induced" and "distortion induced" fatigue are still only partially covered by design codes and represent critical aspects for the assessment of existing bridge and the design of new ones. The European research project FADLESS "Fatigue damage control and assessment for railways bridges" is directed towards defining innovative technical guidelines for the assessment and control of existing and new bridges with regard to fatigue phenomena induced by vibrations and distortions. In this paper, the experimental methodology applied for the fatigue assessment of an Italian case study, the Panaro Bridge, is reported. Such a methodology consists of: preliminary execution of the fatigue assessment of the bridge; experimental structural characterisation; installation of a developed structural monitoring system including a properly designed weigh in motion system.