Finite Element Model Updating of French Creek Bridge

Built in 1993, the French Creek Bridge is located on highway 19 on Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. The bridge is part of the British Columbia Smart Infrastructure Monitoring System (BCSIMS), funded by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) BC, Canada. The BCSIMS is a real-time seismic monitoring program that continuously assesses the seismic conditions of the selected bridges in BC. As part of this seismic monitoring program, an Ambient Vibration Test (AVT) was conducted in September 2014 to extract to modal properties (modal frequencies, modal damping ratios, and mode shapes) of the bridge. The Finite Element (FE) model of the bridge, developed in SAP2000, is updated using the extracted modal properties. The FE model will then be used to assess the seismic performance of the bridge in accordance with the new Canadian Highway Bridge Design Code, 2015, and this study only presents the results of the first of this assessment: the FE model updating of the bridge.