Dynamic design of footbridges

Abstract

Generally footbridges for pedestrians are designed so that the pedestrians may be regarded as static load. Some such footbridges are sometimes found to produce uncomfortable Vibration by passage of pedestrians. This paper describes the characteristics of dynamic fluctuation of the pedestrian's load, the response of bridges by the experiment carried out on five footbridges in Tokyo and the complemental calculation to analyze dynamic response of bridges. The feastibility of Vibration absorbers is also discussed, and its practical installation is reported.