Investigation into a Simplified Dynamic Analysis for Simple Span High-Speed Rail Structures

High-speed rail transit continues to expand globally and is beginning to grow in the United States. The velocity of high-speed rail transit, relative to other rail transit, leads to an increased sensitivity to vibrations as it pertains to passenger comfort and safety. However, the range of travel speeds and repetitive uniform load patterns leave high-speed rail structures susceptible to resonance effects and large dynamic amplification of live loads. This necessitates dynamic analysis to investigate deformations, deck acceleration, and dynamic live load impact factors for all high-speed rail structures. Herein will be discussed an investigation as to whether the dynamic analysis of simple-span structures can be simplified to analyze only vehicle speeds corresponding to resonant action of the structure. Included in the investigation is a description of the dynamic analysis methods employed, investigation into resonance effects, conclusions reached for multiple case studies, and suggested best-practices for dynamic analysis of simple-span high-speed rail structures.