ABSTRACT
The construction of bridges is usually a long-term task where the use of traditional concrete systems is challenging due to the installation of formwork, material falling from the scaffold and the disruption of traffic flow. Often, the use of such a system is limited due to the nature of the obstacle the bridge is spanning. As a solution to this problem, precast concrete slabs began to be produced and used in construction, which made construction easier but additionally caused problems for structural designers. One of the unknowns was how to interpret the connection between the slabs and how to describe the connection in the numerical model so that the global behavior of the structure matches the real behavior. This paper presents a determination of the precast concrete bridge connection stiffness by developing a digital twin. A pedestrian suspension bridge is selected as a case study. The digital twin of the precast slabs is developed by performing the numerical model and finite element model updating (FEMU). Based on the experimentally determined dynamic properties of the characteristic bridge slabs, the finite element model updating is performed. By updating the numerical model, the stiffness of the connection is determined.
