Experimental and numerical investigation of pedestrian–induced vibrations on a steel cable stayed footbridge near Warsaw (PL)

The paper presents a combined experimental and numerical study of the dynamic response of a slender steel cable-stayed footbridge located near Warsaw, Poland. The experimental campaign included ambient vibration tests as well as pull-and-release tests on stay cables to estimate their tension forces and controlled and free walking tests with single pedestrians and groups of up to ten persons. A detailed finite element model was developed and calibrated against experimental data, showing good agreement in modal frequencies and shapes. Numerical simulations of pedestrian-induced response were carried out and compared with experimental measurements. Overall, the study contributes to improving predictive models for dynamic serviceability assessment of footbridges.