Experimental Campaign on the Application of Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer for Possible Rapid Bridge Condition Monitoring

The following paper describes the possible applications of the Fast Falling Weight Deflectometer (Fast-FWD) as a tool for quantitatively characterizing the performance and condition of bridges by measuring the stiffness of the deck and embankment. The FWD is already widely used by transportation agencies for pavement evaluation programs and airfield pavement testing campaigns. This paper reports the testing campaign conducted on eight bridges in which the efficacy of using a Fast-FWD, a controlled excitation device for impact dynamic testing, on short to medium span reinforced concrete bridges. There are many testing methods available, capable of monitoring and evaluating the performance and condition of bridges. Full scale testing consists of static load and dynamic testing methods using either controlled or uncontrolled dynamic excitation. Although each method has advantages and disadvantages in terms of the experimental campaign, logistical purposes and data analysis are also time consuming. This research establishes that the testing campaign, involving the measurement of local deflections of bridge structures to obtain stiffness values, resulted in rapid, accurate, and cost-effective assessments with minimal impact on traffic flow, providing a valuable alternative to traditional testing methods. Further validation and integration efforts are necessary, to fully exploit the potential of Fast-FWD in bridge assessment practices.