UNIVERSIDAD POLITÉCNICA DE MADRID
ESCUELA TÉCNICA SUPERIOR DE INGENIEROS DE CAMINOS, CANALES Y
PUERTOS (MADRID)
Bridge Dynamics
VEHICLE-INDUCED VIBRATIONS IN A ROAD BRIDGE
Work done by : William DEBOUTO
Course 2023-24
Index
Description of the Work .............................................................................................. 3
Implementation and Results ........................................................................................ 4
Comments ................................................................................................................ 9
Description of the Work
In this work, using the finite element method, we will analyze the behavior of a road bridge in
terms of vehicle-induced vibrations. With this objective, several analysis approaches exist to
define the bridge, the vehicles, and the interaction between the two. In this study, we will
analyze the behavior of the bridge using the "moving point loads" approach, in which the
vehicles are modeled as point loads of constant magnitude at their wheels.
The vehicle considered is a truck, whose weight is W = 190.5 kN (W = 182.5 + DoB kN with DoB
= 08), crossing the bridge at a constant speed V.
The structure of the bridge deck and the coordinate system are represented in the image
below.
Figure 1 : Simply supported bridge model
The deck has a width of 13.2m, a vertical flexural stiffness of EI = 69.78GNm², and a distributed
mass of µ = 18455kg/m. A finite element model of this bridge was created in ABAQUS using
100 equal-length beam elements. The bridge's response was obtained from modal
superposition using a reduced version of MDyn (Camara, 2021), a fast modal superposition
dynamic analysis. Then, using the script file, we conducted the simulation in Abaqus (Learning
Edition) considering different speeds (V) of the truck.
Implementation and Results
We began by seeking the response of the bridge at the centerline of the deck at midspan, for
different speeds.
An extract of the code used to run the simulation is presented below.
Figure 2 : MDyn Modal superposition Dynamic analysis, code extract
We first run the simulations for vehicle speeds of 50, 75, and 100 km/h, modifying only the
truck weight (PVehicle) and the speed at which it crosses the bridge (VLoadkmh). The other
parameters correspond to the analysis approach used in this work and the truck configuration,
so they were not modified.
After running the model, several files are obtained from which we can extract the bridge's
responses along the deck, i.e., at each node of the model. In our case, we are interested in
node 10051, which corresponds to the midspan.
Below is an excerpt of the bridge response (time varying from 0s to 0.1s) at the midspan for
each of the considered speeds.
Figure 3 : Bridge response at the centreline of the deck at midspan, vehicle speed = 50 km/h
Figure 4 : Bridge response at the centreline of the deck at midspan, vehicle speed = 75 km/h
Figure 5 : Bridge response at the centreline of the deck at midspan, vehicle speed = 100 km/h
We can also calculate the static displacement at the midspan when the truck load is applied at
the center of the bridge, as shown below.
Figure 6 : Simply supported bridge with a truck load at the center of the deck structure
𝐹𝐿3
𝑌𝑐 = (48𝐸𝐼) where "F" is the force applied at the center of the structure, "Yc" represents the
deflection at "C", "L" represents the distance between points A and B, and "EI" represents the
vertical flexural stiffness (Units in the International System).
Applying this formula, we obtain a static displacement (in absolute value) of 3.64 × 10−3 𝑚,
which is 3.64 𝑚𝑚. With these results, we can plot the time versus the vertical displacement
at the centerline of the deck at midspan for each velocity along with the static displacement
at the same point, as shown in the image below.
Figure 7 : Bridge's response under various scenarios
It would also be interesting to evaluate the vertical displacements at midspan at the two edges
of the bridge. Therefore, we can use the following formulas.
𝐵
𝑈𝑧𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡_𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 = 𝑈𝑧 + (𝜃 × ( ))
2
𝐵
𝑈𝑧𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡_𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 = 𝑈𝑧 − (𝜃 × ( ))
2
𝑈𝑧𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡_𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 and 𝑈𝑧𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡_𝑒𝑑𝑔𝑒 represent the vertical displacements at midspan at the right and left
edge of the deck (in millimeters), 𝑈𝑧 represents the vertical displacement at the centerline of
the deck at midspan (in millimeters), θ represents the rotation of the centerline of the deck
about the "x" axis (in milliradians), and B is the width of the ladder-deck (in millimeters).
Below is an excerpt of the results obtained for the time ranging from 0 to 0.1s.
Figure 8 : Vertical displacement of the bridge at the two edges of the deck at midspan, with
a vehicle speed of 100 km/h
These results can also be represented together with the displacements at the centerline of the
deck at midspan in the same plot (time vs displacement), as shown below.
Figure 9 : Bridge response at the two edges of the deck and at the centerline (midspan),
vehicle speed = 100 km/h
From the previous results, vertical accelerations at the sidewalks of the bridge (midspan) can
also be calculated. Therefore, with an Excel table, for example, and using the previously
obtained vertical displacement values, the vertical accelerations at a given instant 𝑡𝑖 can be
𝑣𝑖+1 −𝑣𝑖−1
obtained using the following formula : 𝑎𝑖 = ; 𝑣𝑖 represents the speed of the bridge
𝑡𝑖+1 −𝑡𝑖−1
deck (along the z-axis) at an instant 𝑡𝑖 and is calculated using the following formula : 𝑣𝑖 =
𝑧𝑖+1 −𝑧𝑖−1
; the instant 𝑡𝑖+𝑛 = 𝑡𝑖 + (𝑛 × 𝑑𝑡), where dt is the time step and n is a relative integer
𝑡𝑖+1 −𝑡𝑖−1
(n ∈ {…, -4, -3, -2, …, 1, 2, …}) ; 𝑧𝑖 represents the vertical displacement of the bridge deck (along
the z-axis) at an instant 𝑡𝑖 .
The following tables show an excerpt of the obtained results (for t ranging from 0 to 0.1s).
Figure 10 : Bridge response at the right edge of the deck at midspan _ Vehicle speed =
100KM/H
Figure 11 : Bridge response at the left edge of the deck at midspan _ Vehicle speed =
100KM/H
Analyzing all the acceleration values obtained, we can evaluate the comfort of the bridge users
by comparing them to the maximum allowed acceleration limit, whose value (in m/s²) is
calculated using the formula : 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑚 = 0.5√𝑓 where f is the first vertical frequency of the
bridge (in Hz). The value of f can also be derived from the files obtained after the analysis
execution. In our case, 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑚 = 0.69m/s² = 690mm/s². From the results, we obtain a maximum
acceleration (in absolute value) of 520.303mm/s².
To observe how the truck speed influences the magnitude of dynamic deflections on the bridge
deck for various speeds, the dynamic impact factor can be calculated, whose value is obtained
𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑑𝑦𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑐 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
using the following formula : 𝑅 = 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑑𝑒𝑓𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛
The speeds (in km/h) considered for the analysis are as follows : 5, 25, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75,
80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110,115 and 120.
The following results are obtained.
Figure 12 : Calculation of the dynamic impact factor for various speeds
With these values, the evolution of the dynamic impact factor can be represented on a graph
as a function of the truck speed, as shown in the following histogram.
Figure 13 : Dynamic impact factor's variation with truck speed
Comments
In the design of a bridge, dynamic analysis plays a crucial role in understanding how the bridge
behaves over its lifespan. In this study, we analyzed the dynamic behavior of a road bridge
considering the passage of a single vehicle (truck). The analysis was conducted using a finite
element model and a "Moving point loads" approach.
Observing the graph obtained in Figure 7, it is evident that the truck speed affects the
amplitude and frequency of vibrations in the bridge structure. As the vehicle speed increases,
the dynamic load applied to the bridge also increases, resulting in higher vibration amplitudes
in the structure, as observed, for example, at time t=0.5s. The vehicle speed also impacts the
frequency of vibrations generated in the bridge structure. At higher speeds, the excitation
frequencies of the structure may change, leading to the excitation of different vibration modes.
In our case, as shown in the figure below, there is a predominance of the first vibration mode
1
(with a period of 𝑓 = 0.525 𝑠, where f is the first vertical frequency of the bridge in Hz).
Figure 14 : Bridge's response under various scenarios
We also observe that for these speeds, the peak deflection of each dynamic response is higher
than the static response of the bridge. However, as the speed decreases, this peak will
approach the value of the static response, as illustrated in the figure below, with a speed of 5
km/h, for example.
Figure 15 : Bridge's response under various scenarios, including low speed
From the analysis results, it was also observed that at a speed of V=100 km/h, the dynamic
responses at midspan at the two edges of the bridge are equal (Figure 9). Indeed, here, the
fundamental mode is the dominant vibration mode, and in the case of our structure, it is a
symmetric mode, leading to a uniform distribution of acceleration along the structure.
However, the geometry of the structure and the boundary conditions considered are also
factors that influence the distribution of acceleration along the bridge and thus the comfort of
the users; these parameters must therefore be taken into account when designing a bridge.
Speaking of user comfort, it would also be interesting to verify that the bridge acceleration
resulting from the vehicle crossing does not exceed the previously defined value 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑚 . We
were able to see that at a speed of 100 km/h, the accelerations were below the 𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑚 value,
thus favoring optimal comfort for the users.
Finally, the dynamic impact factor is also a good analysis indicator to evaluate the dynamic
response of a road bridge (and a bridge in general). This factor provides a measure of how
much more the structure deforms under dynamic load compared to static load, i.e., how much
more the bridge "shakes" due to a moving load, such as a vehicle, compared to a static load.
At higher speeds, a greater dynamic impact on the bridge structure was observed (Figure 13).
With these values, for example, the critical speed of the bridge can be determined, which is
the maximum speed at which a vehicle can cross the bridge without inducing excessive or
unsafe vibrations in the structure.
In conclusion, all these indicators help us predict the behavior of a road bridge (and a bridge
in general) and thus carry out an appropriate bridge design.
