Recent research on identification of moving loads on bridges

Identification of moving loads on bridges is an important inverse problem in the civil and structural engineering field. It is an effective way to better understand the interaction between the bridge and vehicles traversing it in order to achieve a satisfactory lifespan for the future bridge design. The study on identification of moving loads has made a big progress over the past years. This paper reviews the current knowledge on factors affecting performance of moving force identification methods under main headings below: background of moving force identification, experimental verification in laboratory and its application in field. It mainly focuses on the potential of four developed identification methods, i.e. Interpretive Method I (IMI), Interpretive Method II (IMII), Time Domain Method (TDM) and Frequency–Time Domain Method (FTDM). Some parameter effects, such as vehicle–bridge parameters, measurement parameters and algorithm parameters, are also discussed. Although there are still many challenges and obstacles to be overcome before these methods can be implemented in practice, some conclusions that have been achieved on moving force identification are highlighted and recommendations served as a good indicator to steer the direction of further work in the field.