Full-Scale Experimental Measurement of Barge Impact Loads on Bridge Piers (05-1408)
Gary Consolazio, University of Florida
David R. Cowan, Finley Engineering Group, Inc.
Alexander Biggs, University of Florida
Ronald Cook, University of Florida
Marcus H Ansley, Florida Department of Transportation
Henry Bollmann, Florida Department of Transportation

Bridges that span over navigable waterways must be designed to resist potential impact loads associated with barge or ship collisions. However, despite this fact, very little experimental data has ever been collected with regard to the magnitude and nature of the such loads. Vessel-impact components of bridge design specifications, such as the AASHTO bridge design provisions, are therefore based on very limited experimental data. Recently, a bridge in Florida (USA) was replaced with a new structure, thus affording a unique opportunity to conduct full-scale barge impact tests on piers of the pre-existing structure before it was demolished. Tests were conducted on two piers having fundamentally different types of foundation systems. In addition, tests on one of the piers were repeated in two different structural configurations (with and without the superstructure in place). In each test, instrumentation and high-speed data acquisition systems were used to quantify the dynamic loads generated during controlled collision events. In this paper, the experimental procedures used during the tests are described, and selected test results are presented, including experimentally measured dynamic impact loads and associated barge deformations. Comparisons are then presented between load and deformation data collected experimentally and similar data computed using the current AASHTO vessel-impact bridge design provisions.