Research on Impact Coefficient of Railroad Large Span Steel Truss Arch Bridge Based on Vehicle–Bridge Coupling

Abstract

This study investigated the impact coefficient of a large-span steel truss arch railroad bridge under moving train loads, with the Nanning Three Banks Yongjiang Special Bridge serving as the case study. Field tests were conducted to measure the bridge’s self-vibration characteristics, dynamic deflection, and strain. A coupled vehicle–bridge vibration model was developed using the finite element software ABAQUS 2022 for the bridge and multi-body dynamics software SIMPACK 2022 for the CRH2 train. The two models were integrated to simulate the dynamic interaction between the train and bridge under different speeds and single-/double-track operations. The results demonstrate that the joint simulation of SIMPACK and ABAQUS was an effective method for the vehicle–bridge coupled vibration analysis. The key findings include the following: the deflection and stress impact coefficients increased with the train speed, where the main span exhibited larger deflection coefficients than the side span. The stress impact coefficients varied significantly across different bridge components, where the lower chord of the side span and the ties of the main span showed the highest values. While there was no substantial difference in the deflection impact coefficients between the single- and double-track operations, the stress impact coefficients showed deviations, particularly in the side span’s lower chord and ties, highlighting their sensitivity to vehicle-induced deflection. This study concluded that the bridge’s deflection impact coefficient met design specifications, but the stress impact coefficient exceeded the specified values, suggesting that stress amplification should be carefully considered in the design of similar bridges to ensure operational safety.