Testing the effects of walking and running on an existing timber pedestrian bridge

The footbridge under investigation connects the two sides of the outlet channel of the "Santa Croce" Lake (not far from the town of Belluno, Italy). Due to the recreational use of the area, construction techniques with low environmental impact were preferred in designing the footbridge. In particular, structural elements in eco-friendly material, such as laminated wood coupled with steel components, as required for some structural elements, were adopted. The use of reinforced concrete was only limited to the foundation system. A first in situ experimental campaign was carried out on November 7, 2013, and was devoted to record the effects of people walking and running along the bridge. The footbridge was equipped by accelerometers. The data acquired under different loads configurations (wind and human induced loads) are reported and analyzed in this paper by applying a time-frequency approach. Further experimental campaigns are planned in the near future in order to evaluate the effects of the environmental excursions on the dynamic response of the structure.