Sixty students from the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering took part in the acceptance testing of a new pedestrian overpass on the A-120 "Saint Petersburg Southern Half-Ring" federal highway. The structure is located at the 96th kilometer of a road section currently undergoing reconstruction.
The site general view
The tests were attended by fourth, fifth and sixth year students maajoring in “Construction of bridges and tunnels” in the field of study “Construction of unique buildings and structures”, as well as fourth-year students of the “Highway roads” specialization in the field of study “Civil engineering”. Together with teachers from the Department of Transport Systems and Road and Bridge Construction (TS&RBC), they acted as a test load, the total weight of which was up to 4.2 tons.
Students generate a test load
The technical excursion and testing were organized by the company "Bridge Competence Center" LLC (BCC LLC), which specializes in the inspection and testing of bridge structures. The work was conducted under the supervision of Dmitry Yaroshutin, General Director of BCC LLC and a senior lecturer at the Department of TS&RBC.
Dmitry Yaroshutin overseeing the tests
The program consisted of two stages. During the static tests, participants took up various positions on the pedestrian section of the crossing, placing a load on its structures. This made it possible to measure the resulting stresses and displacements and to compare these values with the calculated ones.
In the second phase, dynamic tests were conducted: students moved across the overpass at various paces, marched, and jumped. Specialists evaluated the structure’s oscillations, determined its natural frequencies, and checked for the potential occurrence of resonance phenomena.
For the measurements, specialists from BCC LLC installed a computer-based measurement system that integrated displacement sensors and accelerometers. The equipment made it possible to record structural displacements with an accuracy of up to 10 microns. Before the tests began, a detailed inspection of the structure was also carried out to rule out the presence of any defects or construction flaws.
Measuring system
Participating in such events allows students to gain insight into the practical side of their future profession: they can observe how specialists assess the reliability of engineering structures, learn about the operation of measuring equipment, and compare their theoretical knowledge with actual test results.
The collaboration between SPbGASU and BCC LLC is ongoing, providing future engineers with the opportunity to participate in professional events while still pursuing their studies.
JSC VAD is the general contractor for the reconstruction of this section of the highway. The opening of the pedestrian overpass is scheduled for the end of November this year, coinciding with the commissioning of the entire reconstructed road section. Transportation for event participants was provided by the St Petersburg state-owned unitary enterprise Passazhiravtotrans.