At 2:00 am on January 23rd, the night was deep, and there was no traffic on the bridge deck of Tianyuan Bridge. 25 35 ton heavy-duty trucks (large trucks) were neatly lined up. They are bridge load testing vehicles that need to "crush" different parts of the bridge during the load test to verify whether the "bones" of the bridge are strong.
The current test is a static load test, "said Zhan Kaizhen, a bridge engineer at the Bridge and Tunnel Center of the Municipal Transportation Bureau, leaning down and pointing to a mark on the bridge deck." These marks are the 'standing points' of 25 load testing vehicles with a total weight of 875 tons, which are the most' sensitive ', easily deformed, or heavily stressed key areas on the bridge deck.
The Tianyuan Bridge has been in operation for nearly 20 years, and recently, it completed bridge load tests with the Wuyuan Bridge. The "ultimate physical examination" of Tianyuan Bridge was conducted for three days, from 0:30 to 5:30 in the morning every day. In order to carry out load tests, the bridge was closed in both directions.
Zhan Kaizhen introduced that the experiment is only the first stage, and data analysis and report preparation are currently underway. "If special problems are found in the bridge structure and other aspects, special rectification projects will be launched according to the situation.
The total load of 875 tons is not achieved in one step, but through graded loading, allowing the bridge structure to gradually adapt and observe subtle changes under each level of load. As soon as Zhan Kaizhen finished speaking, one, two, and three load testing vehicles slowly drove into the predetermined stopping points along the predetermined route.
Until 5:30, the static load test ended. During the entire experimental process, nearly a hundred sensors were pre arranged in key areas such as the suspension rods and main beams to record real-time data on the "tension" of the main bridge, box girder top plate, bottom plate, and web plate, as well as the amplitude of the bridge deck's compression and bending.
It is understood that the load test conducted this time will be carried out once every 6 years. According to the technical specifications for maintenance of highway cross sea bridges, special inspections such as load tests should be carried out periodically for cross sea bridges. This is not only a check on the health of the bridge, but also a commitment to the safety of citizens' travel, "said the person in charge of the Bridge and Tunnel Center of the Municipal Transportation Bureau.
