Dynamic performance of the Confederation Bridge due to traffic and wind

This paper describes results from a study of the dynamic performance of the Confederation Bridge during traffic load tests and a storm with high winds that occurred at the bridge site on 7 November 2001. The traffic load tests were conducted over a three-span segment of the bridge and consisted of single and double truck configurations at different speeds. The winds during the storm of 7 November 2001 were the strongest that have ever been measured at the bridge site since the opening of the bridge. The vibrations of the bridge during both the load tests and the storm were recorded by a network of 76 accelerometers. By processing the recorded vibrations, vertical deflections and dynamic amplification factors due to the traffic load tests and vertical and lateral deflections due to the wind during the storm were computed. The computed values were compared with those used in the design. It was found that both the deflections and the dynamic amplification factors were much smaller than the design values.Key ...