Coupled Dynamics of Vehicle‐Bridge Interaction System Using High Efficiency Method

Abstract

Vehicle-bridge interaction is the core for a variety of applications, including vehicle vibration, bridge vibration, bridge structural health monitoring, weight-in-motion, bridge condition inspection, and load rating. These applications give rise to a great interest in pursuing a high-efficiency method that can tackle intensive computation in the context of vehicle-bridge interaction. This paper studies the accuracy and efficiency of discretizing the beam in space as lumped masses using the flexibility method and as finite elements using the stiffness method. Computational complexity analysis is carried out along with a numerical case study to compare the accuracy and efficiency of both methods against the analytical solutions. It is found that both methods result in a similar level of accuracy, but the flexibility method overperforms the stiffness method in terms of computational efficiency. This high efficiency algorithm and corresponding discretization schema are applied to study the dynamics of vehicle-bridge interaction. A system of coupled equations is solved directly for a simply supported single-span bridge and a four-degree-of-freedom vehicle modeling. Pavement roughness significantly influences dynamic load coefficient, suggesting preventative maintenance or timely maintenance of pavement surface on a bridge, to reduce pavement roughness, is of significant importance for bridge’s longevity and life-cycle cost benefit. For class A and B level pavement roughness, the dynamic load coefficient is simulated within 2.0, compatible with specifications of AASHTO standard, Australian standard, and Switzerland standard. However, the Chinese code underestimates the dynamic load coefficient for a bridge with a fundamental frequency of around 4 Hz. The proposed method is applicable to different types of bridges as well as train-bridge interaction.

Efficient Dynamic Performance Prediction of Railway Bridges Situated on Small-Radius Reverse Curves

“…Simultaneously, numerical simulation of bridge structures usually employs fnite element modeling to account for their intricate structural attributes. Te vehiclebridge interaction (VBI) system, a core concept in this feld, describes the dynamic interaction between vehicles and bridges [16,17]. Tis system models vehicle and bridge subsystems while considering wheel-rail contact interactions.…”

Coupled Vibration Analysis of a Beam-Arch Composite Continuous Rigid Structure with Parallel Traffic Flow

“…Yao Dunrong and Deng Nianchun [8], based on vehicle-bridge coupled vibration theory and using the multibody dynamics software Universal Mechanism (UM), analyzed factors such as road roughness, traffic spacing, and bridge structural damping. Lu Sun and Xingzhuang Zhao [9] proposed an elastic method to discretize the beam into lumped masses in three dimensions, improving computational accuracy and efficiency compared to traditional finite element methods. Charikleia D. Stoura [10] introduced a dynamic partitioning method (DPM) to address vehicle-bridge interaction problems by introducing auxiliary contact bodies between vehicles and bridge systems and employing a component-wise Lagrange multiplier method to avoid numerical challenges encountered in differential-algebraic equation (DAE) approaches.…”