• Wind and Structures
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.19-43
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• 2016

In the present study, a new methodology is presented to study the ride comfort and bridge responses of a long-span bridge-traffic-wind coupled vibration system considering stochastic characteristics of traffic flow and bridge surface progressive deterioration. A three-dimensional vehicle model with 24 degrees-of-freedoms (DOFs) including a three-dimensional non-linear suspension seat model and the longitudinal vibration of the vehicle is firstly presented to study the ride comfort. An improved cellular automaton (CA) model considering the influence of the next-nearest neighbor vehicles and a progressive deterioration model for bridge surface roughness are firstly introduced. Based on the equivalent dynamic vehicle model approach, the bridge-traffic-wind coupled equations are established by combining the equations of motion of both the bridge and vehicles in traffic using the displacement relationship and interaction force relationship at the patch contact. The numerical simulations show that the proposed method can simulate rationally the ride comfort and bridge responses of the bridge-traffic-wind coupled system; and the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal vibrations of the driver seat model can affect significantly the driver's comfort, as expected.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.299-312
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• 2019

Due to the rugged terrain, metro lines in mountain city across numerous wide rivers and deep valleys, resulting in instability of high-pier bridge and insecurity of metro train under crosswind. Compared with the conditions of no-wind, crosswind triggers severer vibration of the dynamic system; compared with the short-pier viaduct, the high-pier viaduct has worse stability under crosswind. For these reasons, the running safety of the metro vehicle traveling on a high-pier viaduct under crosswind is analyzed to ensure the safe operation in metro lines in mountain cities. In this paper, a dynamic model of the metro vehicle-track-bridge system under crosswind is established, in which crosswind loads model considering the condition of wind zone are built. After that, the evaluation indices and the calculation parameters have been selected, moreover, the basic characteristics of the dynamic system with high-pier under crosswind are analyzed. On this basis, the response varies with vehicle speed and wind speed are calculated, then the corresponding safety zone is determined. The results indicate that, crosswind triggers drastic vibration to the metro vehicle and high-pier viaduct, which in turn causes running instability of the vehicle. The corresponding safety zone for metro vehicle traveling on the high-pier is proposed, and the metro traffic on the high-pier bridge under crosswind should not exceed the corresponding limited vehicle speed to ensure the running safety.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.76 no.2
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• pp.207-222
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• 2020

Due to the rugged terrain, metro lines in mountain city across numerous wide rivers and deep valleys, resulting in instability of high-pier bridge and insecurity of metro train subjected to fluctuating crosswind. To ensure the safe operation in metro lines in mountain cities, running safety of the metro train over the high-pier bridge under crosswind is analyzed in this paper. Firstly, the dynamic model of the wind-train-bridge (WTB) system is built, in which the speed-up effect of crosswind is fully considered. On the basis of time domain analysis, the basic characteristics of the WTB system with high-pier are analyzed. Afterwards, the dynamic responses varies with train speed and wind speed are calculated, and the safety zone of metro train over a high-pier bridge subjected to fluctuating crosswind in mountain city is determined. The results indicate that, fluctuating crosswind triggers drastic vibration to the metro train and high-pier bridges, which in turn causes running instability of the train. For this reason, the corresponding safety zone for metro train running on the high-pier is proposed, and the metro traffic on the high-pier bridge should be closed as the mean wind speed of standard height reaches 9 m/s (15.6 m/s for the train).

• Wind and Structures
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.287-306
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• 2017

In the present study, a new assessment simulation of ride safety based on a new wind-traffic-pavement-bridge coupled vibration system is developed considering stochastic characteristics of traffic flow and bridge surface. Compared to existing simulation models, the new assessment simulation focuses on introducing the more realistic three-dimensional vehicle model, stochastic characteristics of traffic, vehicle accident criteria, and bridge surface conditions. A three-dimensional vehicle model with 24 degrees-of-freedoms (DOFs) is presented. A cellular automaton (CA) model and the surface roughness are introduced. The bridge deck pavement is modeled as a boundless Euler-Bernoulli beam supported on the Kelvin model. The wind-traffic-pavement-bridge coupled equations are established by combining the equations of both the vehicles in traffic, pavement, and bridge using the displacement and interaction force relationship at the patch contact. The numerical simulation shows that the proposed method can simulate rationally useful assessment and prevention information for traffic, and define appropriate safe driving speed limits for vulnerable vehicles under normal traffic and bridge surface conditions.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.275-292
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• 2015

The presence of traffic on a slender long-span bridge deck will modify the cross-section profile of the bridge, which may influence the flutter derivatives and in turn, the critical flutter wind velocity of the bridge. Studies on the influence of vehicles on the flutter derivatives and the critical flutter wind velocity of bridges are rather rare as compared to the investigations on the coupled buffeting vibration of the wind-vehicle-bridge system. A typical streamlined cross-section for long-span bridges is adopted for both experimental and analytical studies. The scaled bridge section model with vehicle models distributed on the bridge deck considering different traffic flow scenarios has been tested in the wind tunnel. The flutter derivatives of the modified bridge cross section have been identified using forced vibration method and the results suggest that the influence of vehicles on the flutter derivatives of the typical streamlined cross-section cannot be ignored. Based on the identified flutter derivatives, the influence of vehicles on the flutter stability of the bridge is investigated. The results show that the effect of vehicles on the flutter wind velocity is obvious.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.665-682
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• 2015

Structural identification or St-Id is 'the parametric correlation of structural response characteristics predicted by a mathematical model with analogous characteristics derived from experimental measurements'. This paper describes a St-Id exercise on Humber Bridge that adopted a novel two-stage approach to first calibrate and then validate a mathematical model. This model was then used to predict effects of wind and temperature loads on global static deformation that would be practically impossible to observe. The first stage of the process was an ambient vibration survey in 2008 that used operational modal analysis to estimate a set of modes classified as vertical, torsional or lateral. In the more recent second stage a finite element model (FEM) was developed with an appropriate level of refinement to provide a corresponding set of modal properties. A series of manual adjustments to modal parameters such as cable tension and bearing stiffness resulted in a FEM that produced excellent correspondence for vertical and torsional modes, along with correspondence for the lower frequency lateral modes. In the third stage traffic, wind and temperature data along with deformation measurements from a sparse structural health monitoring system installed in 2011 were compared with equivalent predictions from the partially validated FEM. The match of static response between FEM and SHM data proved good enough for the FEM to be used to predict the un-measurable global deformed shape of the bridge due to vehicle and temperature effects but the FEM had limited capability to reproduce static effects of wind. In addition the FEM was used to show internal forces due to a heavy vehicle to to estimate the worst-case bearing movements under extreme combinations of wind, traffic and temperature loads. The paper shows that in this case, but with limitations, such a two-stage FEM calibration/validation process can be an effective tool for performance prognosis.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.324-327
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• 2011

The design requirement for ground mounted sign structures are fairly well defined in the AASHTO Standard Specifications for Structural Supports for Highway Signs, Luminaries, and Traffic Signals and consists of applying an equivalent pseudo-dynamic loading to account for the dynamic effects of wind loads and ignores the dynamic effect due to moving vehicle loads. This design approach, however, should not be applied to the design of bridge mounted sign structures because ignoring the dynamic effects of the moving vehicle loads may produce non-conservative results, since the stiffness of the bridge structure can greatly influence the behavior. Not enough information is available in the literatures which provide guide lines to include the influence of moving vehicles in the design of the bridge mounted sign structures. This paper describes a theoretical methodology, Bridge-Vehicle Interaction Element, which can be utilized to account for the dynamic effect of moving vehicles. A case study is also included where this methodology was successfully applied. It was concluded that the bridge-vehicle interaction finite element developed can provide a more accurate representation of the behavior of bridge mounted sign structures. The result of these analysis enabled development of simple and effective retrofitting scheme for the existing support system of bridge-mounted-structure.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.279-292
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• 2006

Natural hazards, including the wind hazard and others, threaten the integrity of the modern society. A transportation system usually consists of roadways, bridges and related vehicles. Harsh environmental conditions, caused by such as wind, exist in the real world frequently and affect the dynamic performance of the transportation system through their interactions. Long-span bridges are usually the backbones of transportation lines. In windy conditions, the information about the dynamic performance of bridges and vehicles considering full interactions of environmental factors is very essential for people to assess the overall operational conditions and safety risks of the transportation lines. Most of existent approaches target specifically at several isolated tasks considering partial interaction effects. In order to improve the understanding of these related-in-nature problems integrally as well as the consistency of different approaches, a unified approach to integrally predict the dynamic performance of long-span bridges and vehicles under wind is introduced. Such an approach can be used as a general platform to predict the dynamic responses of vehicles and bridges under various situations through adopting both commercial and in-house software. Dynamic interaction effects can be fully considered automatically for each situation. An example of a prototype bridge in US is given for the purpose of demonstration.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.213-236
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• 2015

For high-speed railways (HSR) in wind prone regions, wind barriers are often installed on bridges to ensure the running safety of trains. This paper analyzes the effect of wind barriers on the running safety of a high-speed train to cross winds when it passes on a bridge. Two simply-supported (S-S) PC bridges in China, one with 32 m box beams and the other with 16 m trough beams, are selected to perform the dynamic analyses. The bridges are modeled by 3-D finite elements and each vehicle in a train by a multi-rigid-body system connected with suspension springs and dashpots. The wind excitations on the train vehicles and the bridges are numerically simulated, using the static tri-component coefficients obtained from a wind tunnel test, taking into account the effects of wind barriers, train speed and the spatial correlation with wind forces on the deck. The whole histories of a train passing over the two bridges under strong cross winds are simulated and compared, considering variations of wind velocities, train speeds and without or with wind barriers. The threshold curves of wind velocity for train running safety on the two bridges are compared, from which the windbreak effect of the wind barrier are evaluated, based on which a beam structure with better performance is recommended.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.615-626
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• 2019

Inerter-based damping devices (IBBDs), which consist of inerter, spring and viscous damper, have been extensively investigated in vehicle suspension systems and demonstrated to be more effective than the traditional control devices with spring and viscous damper only. In the present study, the control performance on cable vibration reduction was studied for four different inerter-based damping devices, namely the parallel-connected viscous mass damper (PVMD), series-connected viscous mass damper (SVMD), tuned inerter dampers (TID) and tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD). Firstly the mechanism of the ball screw inerter is introduced. Then the state-space formulation of the cable-TID system is derived as an example for the cable-IBBDs system. Based on the complex modal analysis, single-mode cable vibration control analysis is conducted for PVMD, SVMD, TID and TVMD, and their optimal parameters and the maximum attainable damping ratios of the cable/damper system are obtained for several specified damper locations and modes in combination by the Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm. Lastly, optimal design of PVMD is developed for multi-mode vibration control of cable, and the results of damping ratio analysis are validated through the forced vibration analysis in a case study by numerical simulation. The results show that all the four inerter-based damping devices significantly outperform the viscous damper for single-mode vibration control. In the case of multi-mode vibration control, PVMD can provide more damping to the first four modes of cable than the viscous damper does, and their maximum control forces under resonant frequency of harmonic forced vibration are nearly the same. The results of this study clearly demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of PVMD in cable vibration control.