High-Fidelity Numerical Modeling for the Mechanical Characterization of a Full-Scale Test Bridge

Bridges are vital components of transportation networks, serving as critical lifelines that ensure the safe and efficient movement of people, goods, and emergency services. With aging infrastructures, increasing traffic volumes and loads, and growing impact of extreme weather events driven by climate change, the development of reliable structural health monitoring (SHM) strategies has become of utmost importance. A key challenge in this domain is the scarcity of data on well-characterized damage states. To address this, a monitoring campaign was recently conducted on a full-scale, two-span test bridge specifically designed and built at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich to investigate damage scenarios related to specific structural deficiencies of the deck and to foundations settlement, the latter being connected to failure mechanisms typical in the context of floodings, when scour, i.e., washing out of the foundations, might happen. The test bridge is a crucial intermediate step between laboratory-scale experiments and real-world monitoring. In this study, a high-fidelity, physics-based numerical model of the same structure is presented as a complementary tool. The model enables accurate performances assessment and provides a detailed reference to interpret measured responses under varying environmental conditions and artificial damage scenarios. Experimental data collected under operational conditions were used to refine the model's mechanical characterization through Bayesian updating. The goal is to develop a functional digital twin of the test bridge, acting as a dynamic, data-driven shadow of the physical structure, to support informed maintenance decisions, extend service life, and enhance safety in future studies applied to real-world infrastructures.