Study on a measurement index of transverse collaborative working performance of prefabricated girder bridges

Transverse collaborative working performance during the operation of prefabricated girder bridges is critical to their safety and serviceability. A novelty indirect measurement index, the strain correlation coefficient of adjacent prefabricated girders, is proposed to represent the transverse collaborative working performance. A new simplified mechanical model of prefabricated girder bridges is established. Based on this model, an analytical expression of the proposed index is derived. Theoretical analysis and numerical simulations are used to show that traffic flow tends to be statistically stable when using a sufficient sample size, in which case structural characteristics exclusively become the influencing factor of the index. This indicates that the proposed index is capable of accurately reflecting the transverse collaborative working performance of prefabricated girder bridges.