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This synthesis will be of interest to state department of transportation and consulting bridge, structural, and research engineers. The synthesis describes the current state of the practice for determining dynamic impact factors for bridges. Information for the synthesis was collected by surveying U.S. and Canadian transportation agencies and by conducting a literature search using domestic and foreign sources. This report of the Transportation Research Board documents relevant background and recent information with regard to vehicular dynamic load effects on bridges. It provides details on the basic concepts of bridge dynamics, including identification of the main variables affecting bridge dynamic response. In addition, current code provisions for accounting for vehicular dynamic load effects for new bridge design and load evaluation of existing bridges are reported, including a discussion on the background of the provisions. Finally, a discussion of observed field problems associated with vehicular dynamic load effects, as obtained from the survey, are included.
The dynamic interaction of vehicles and bridges results in live loads being induced into bridges that are greater than the vehicle's static weight. To limit this dynamic effect, the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) currently requires that permitted trucks slow to five miles per hour and span the roadway centerline when crossing bridges. However, this practice has other negative consequences such as the potential for crashes, impracticality for bridges with high traffic volumes, and higher fuel consumption. The main objective of this work was to provide information and guidance on the allowable speeds for permitted vehicles and loads on bridges .A field test program was implemented on five bridges (i.e., two steel girder bridges, two pre-stressed concrete girder bridges, and one concrete slab bridge) to investigate the dynamic response of bridges due to vehicle loadings. The important factors taken into account during the field tests included vehicle speed, entrance conditions, vehicle characteristics (i.e., empty dump truck, full dump truck, and semi-truck), and bridge geometric characteristics (i.e., long span and short span). Three entrance conditions were used: As-is and also Level 1 and Level 2, which simulated rough entrance conditions with a fabricated ramp placed 10 feet from the joint between the bridge end and approach slab and directly next to the joint, respectively. The researchers analyzed and utilized the field data to derive the dynamic impact factors (DIFs) for all gauges installed on each bridge under the different loading scenarios.
The Dynamic Impact Factor (DIF) is widely employed to account for the dynamic amplification effect of moving trains on railway bridges. An accurate DIF provides a safe yet economical basis for new railway bridges and improves the safety rating assessment for existing railway bridges. This thesis investigates the accuracy, reliability and the underlying influence factors for DIF relationships currently used for short span steel railway bridges. Full-scale field monitoring exercises are conducted to measure the dynamic responses of two railway bridges during various train passages. The monitoring results indicate that both railway bridges satisfy the live load deflection limits recommended for railway bridges subjected to low-speed trains. Three-dimensional Finite Element (FE) models are developed for the each of railway bridges. The models are verified against the monitoring results. The verification results show that the models accurately predict the actual dynamic response of the railway bridges. A series of sensitivity analysis is performed using the verified FE models. The analyses investigate the effects of variation in New Zealand train and bridge dynamic characteristics on the mid-span DIFs of the monitored railway bridges. The trains are simulated as moving constant forces. The analysis results show that the train speeds have the largest influence on the DIFs of the railway bridges. Numbers and axle distances of carriages have some effects on the DIFs which these effects depend on corresponding locomotive axle distances. Bridge damping ratios have some influences, and the train axle loads have no effect on the DIFs. Over 100 different train arrangements corresponding to combinations possible in New Zealand are simulated and applied to the each of the FE modes. The mid-span DIFs are evaluated numerically as the simulated train passes over the bridges with different speeds. It is found that the DIF formulas in New Zealand railway bridge guidelines overestimate the dynamic effects of moving trains on the railway bridges. This overestimation approaches 4.2 times the bridge evaluated DIFs. Data mining techniques are employed to generate predictive models which estimate the medians of the simulated DIFs. These predictive models provide users with a reliable prediction of the DIFs for designing or assessing the short span steel railway bridges subjected to train passages with speeds up to 150 km/h.
Long-haul passenger, commuter, and freight railroads are essential to maintaining a thriving economy and environmentally friendly, efficient and less congested transportation system for people and goods, especially in New England, with its many urban areas, industries, and major national defense activities. On Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor between Washington, D.C. and Boston, MA, the busiest passenger rail corridor in the United Sates, there are over 60 long span steel bridges that are more than 100 years old. This situation presents many structural problems, especially overstress in certain members, as well as fatigue. This research focused primarily on two areas. First, developing a finite element (FE) model that can reliably predict the impact, as derived from other bridge responses (displacement and strain), for trains at speeds higher than that currently allowed on these structures. And second, field research to accumulate data on bridge response from each of the train types at various speeds. The research used as test vehicles, two types of Amtrak train sets, Acela higher speed vehicles, and Amtrak conventional Regional train vehicles, as well as Metro-North Railroad’s M8 MU commuter cars. Specific to this research is the type of bridge structure. The model was based on an open deck, long span through truss. This type of bridge is typical of hundreds still in service around the country, and most appreciably over a hundred years old, especially in the Northeast. Field research was conducted on Devon Bridge, a 115-year-old bridge, opened in 1906, over the Housatonic River between Stratford and Milford, Connecticut, and owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The model was developed using STAAD.Pro software. Using the known physical characteristics (axle loads and axle spacing) of the Amtrak and Metro-North vehicles, field tests verified high correlation between actual bridge responses, measured by displacements and strains at various speeds, and those predicted by the model. Thus, the model can be useful in predicting impact values, derived from displacements and strains, from similar types of vehicles on this and other open deck railroad bridges. Additional study and analysis were performed on bridge response under live load to better understand how the relative old age of the test structure, and its long history from use by steam engines and heavy freight trains, effect certain truss members’ response. Particular investigation was performed on the eyebars, which are used as counter diagonals and lower chord members in the truss. Results from this investigation were compared to tests performed several years earlier, and analysis is presented for why some differences appear. A thorough review was also performed contrasting railroad bridges design impact requirements used in countries around the world. The knowledge gained from this research can be applied to other railroad bridges of this type, carrying comparable conventional passenger cars and MU transit cars.
In the design of highway bridges, the static live load is multiplied by a factor to compensate for the dynamic effect of moving vehicles. This factor, commonly referred to as an impact factor, is intended to provide for the dynamic response of the bridge to moving loads and suddenly applied forces. Many investigators have published research which contradicts the current impact formula 1, 4, 17. Some investigators feel that the problem of impact deals not only with the increase in over-all static live load but that is an integral part of a dynamic load distribution problem 24. The current expanded highway program with the large number of bridge structures required emphasizes the need for investigating some of the dynamic behavior problems which have been generally ignored by highway engineers. These problems generally result from the inability of a designer to predict the dynamic response of a bridge structure. Many different investigations have been made of particular portions of the overall dynamic problem. The results of these varied investigations are inevitably followed by a number of unanswered questions. Ironically, many of the unanswered questions are those which are of immediate concern in the design of highway bridges, and this emphasizes the need for additional research on the problem of impact.
The commercial operation of the bullet train in 1964 in Japan marked the beginning of a new era for high-speed railways. Because of the huge amount of kinetic energy carried at high speeds, a train may interact significantly with the bridge and even resonate with it under certain circumstances. Equally important is the riding comfort of the train cars, which relates closely to the maneuverability of the train during its passage over the bridge at high speeds.This book is unique in that it is devoted entirely to the interaction between the supporting bridges and moving trains, the so-called vehicle-bridge interaction (VBI). Finite element procedures have been developed to treat interaction problems of various complexities, while the analytical solutions established for some typical problems are helpful for identifying the key parameters involved. Besides, some field tests were conducted to verify the theories established.This book provides an up-to-date coverage of research conducted on various aspects of the VBI problems. Using the series of VBI elements derived, the authors study a number of frontier problems, including the impact response of bridges with elastic bearings, the dynamic response of curved beam to moving centrifugal forces, the stability and derailment of trains moving over bridges shaken by earthquakes, the impact response of two trains crossing on a bridge, the steady-state response of trains moving over elevated bridges, and so on.