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Structural Engineering and Mechanics
  Volume 30, Number 2, September30 2008 , pages 165-176
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2008.30.2.165
 


Finite element analysis of vehicle-bridge interaction by an iterative method
Ji-Seong Jo, Hyung-Jo Jung and Hongjin Kim

 
Abstract
    In this paper, a new iterative method for solving vehicle-bridge interaction problems is proposed. Iterative methods have advantages over the non-iterative methods in that it is not necessary to
update the system matrix for a given wheel location, and the method can be applied for a new type of car or bridge with few or no modifications. In the proposed method, the necessity of system matrices update is eliminated using the equivalent interaction force acting on the bridge, which is obtained iteratively. Ballast stiffness is included in the interaction forces and the geometric compatibility at the contact points are used as convergence criteria. The bridge is considered as an elastic Bernoulli-Euler beam with surface irregularity and ballast stiffness. The moving vehicle is modeled as a multi-axle mass-spring-damper system having many degrees of freedom depending on the number of axles. The pitching effect, which is the interaction effect between the rear and front wheels when a vehicle begins to enter or leave the bridge, is also considered in the formulation including extended ground boundaries having surface irregularity and ballast stiffness. The applicability of the proposed method is illustrated in the numerical studies.
 
Key Words
    vehicle-bridge interaction; moving vehicle; finite element method; iteration method.
 
Address
Ji-Seong Jo: POSCO E&C Technical Research Institute, 79-5 Youngcheon, Dongtan, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Hyung-Jo Jung: Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, KAIST, 335, Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 305-701, Korea
Hongjin Kim: School of Architecture & Civil Engineering, Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sangyeok-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu 702-701, Korea
 

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