Damage detection in slab-on-girder bridges using vibration characteristics

This paper develops and applies a multi-criteria procedure, incorporating changes in natural frequencies, modal flexibility and the modal strain energy, for damage detection in slab-on-girder bridges. The proposed procedure is first validated through experimental testing of a model bridge. Numerically simulated modal data obtained through finite element analyses are then used to evaluate the vibration parameters before and after damage and used as the indices for assessment of the state of structural health. The procedure is illustrated by its application to full scale slab-on-girder bridges under different damage scenarios involving single and multiple damages on the deck and girders.