Nonstationary random response of highway bridges under a series of moving vehicles

Abstract

Taking account of the roughness of roadway surface, the authors have theoretically investigated nonstationary random responses of highway bridges to moving vehicles. On the basis of the assumption that a sequence of the surface roughness is a stationary random process, the simultaneous nonstationary random vibrations of both bridge and moving vehicles have been analysed by means of the theory of random vibration. It can be considered that the two-degree-of-freedom sprung-mass system with both front and rear axles is a more realistic model of each heavy dump truck than the one-degree-of-freedom system usually used. The effect of some important factors in the whole system on the root mean square of the random responses of highway bridges are discussed.