ABSTRACT
This paper investigates the use of a damage indicator based on the deflection responses at a number of points along a bridge. As a vehicle crosses a bridge, the deflection at the point directly underneath an axle is recorded. This enables a moving-reference deflection response to be created. The mean moving reference response of a batch of similar vehicles may then be used to create a damage indicator. The root mean squared difference between the mean-moving reference of a batch of vehicles crossing a healthy bridge and a batch crossing a damaged bridge is the damage indicator used in this paper. This indicator has been shown to increase with damage. The damage indicator is also compared to an indicator based on a moving force identification algorithm. The two damaged indicators are shown to provide similar but not identical results.
