Finite-Element and Simplified Models for Collision Simulation between Overheight Trucks and Bridge Superstructures
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 11
Abstract
Accidental collisions between overheight trucks and bridge superstructures have occurred frequently in recent years. These collisions dramatically affect the safety of bridge structures and traffic systems in metropolitan areas. Frequent collision-induced bridge damages have highlighted the importance of scientific research in this field. In this study, considering the inherent difficulties of full-scale laboratory testing, the FEM is used to simulate the collision procedure. The finite-element (FE) results indicate that collisions between overheight trucks and bridge superstructures induce two types of failure modes, global damage and local damage, which need to be incorporated into bridge design guidelines. The numerical results also reveal that the collision forces are mainly influenced by the parameters associated with overheight trucks. To reduce computational costs and facilitate engineering application, a simplified model for calculating the collision forces is also proposed. The predictions of the simplified model, although slightly conservative, are in good agreement with the FE results.
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Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the financial support provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 51222804 and 50808106), the Major S&T Special Project of the Ministry of Transport of the People’s Republic of China (Grant No. 2011-318-223-170), the Tsinghua University Initiative Scientific Research Program (Grant Nos. 2010THZ02-1 and 2011THZ03), and the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-10-0528).
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 11 • November 2013
Pages: 1140 - 1151
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 7, 2012
Accepted: Jan 23, 2013
Published online: Jan 25, 2013
Published in print: Nov 1, 2013
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