Cover
Vol. 19 No. 2 (2025)

Published: December 31, 2025

Pages: 51-68

Research Article

A Comparative Analysis of Bearing Pad Resilience in 44-Year-Old and Modern Bridge Structures

Akram Shakir Mahmoud* 1 Mohammed O. Hussein
1Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Anbar, Ramadi, Iraq
History
  • Received: April 27, 2025
  • Revised: October 10, 2025
  • Accepted: October 16, 2025
  • Available Online: December 31, 2025
DOI

https://doi.org/10.37650/ijce190205

Abstract

A study of Al-Rayhanna Bridge (Iraq, Anbar Province) concerned with examining elastomeric bearing pad dynamic behaviour against changes in traffic speed and girder deflection. The areas of maximum deflection were being located at midspans of the girders, especially under truck or underneath truck lanes. One of the key contributions of the work was the application of the deflection measurements of the Linear Variable Differential Transformer (LVDT) for the estimation of car speeds, and a very welcoming mean value of 40.95 km/h (the visual timing correlations being >95 per cent), showed that structural measurement can be employed in reliable traffic analysis. The new bridge was defined by reduced damping ratio (3-4 % compared to 5-6 % of the old bridge) accounting for varying abilities to absorb and release energy. Thus, the new bridge appeared to require less balance restoration energy (1.5-2 seconds / 0.5-0.67 Hz) than the old bridge exhibiting faster stabilization (1-1.5 seconds / 0.67-1 Hz). The rate of amplitude decay also varied quite radically: 20-25 per cent per cycle for the new bridge compared to 30-35 per cent for the old bridge. Structural design and climatic dependent factors , indicates the significant role played by adopting dynamic factors - such as damping, energy dissipation and deflection patterns in bridge structure design and maintenance to guarantee long-lasting structural integrity and safety. These observations give conclusive feedback on upcoming resilient bridge construction, also the field of material science and traffic engineering

Keywords

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