Dynamic Analysis of Flexible Structures Under The Influence of Moving Multiple Vehicles

Abstract

In this study, the parameters affecting the dynamic behavior of flexible structures under the influence of multiple vehicle passages are examined in detail. The flexible structure considered in the study is considered as a bridge girder with simple supported boundary conditions which modelled according to Euler-Bernoulli thin beam theory. The equations of motion of the bridge beam in contact with the vehicle passing over the bridge were obtained by using the Lagrange equation after the kinetic and potential energies of the system were obtained. The second-order differential equations representing the motion of the system are transformed from the first-order state space matrix representation to the first-order state using the state variables specified in the study. The system of differential equations is then solved with high accuracy using a special program prepared in the MATLAB commercial software using the Runge-Kutta algorithm from the fourth degree in the time domain.