Live Load Distribution and Dynamic Amplification on a Curved Prestressed Concrete Transit Rail Bridge
Publication: Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 23, Issue 6
Abstract
A recently constructed and commissioned in-service light rail transit bridge in Denver, Colorado was examined analytically and via field testing to study its live load performance. The bridge is a four-span horizontally curved structure, composed of chorded prestressed concrete bulb tee girders. The bridge was designed following the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) guidelines from the Manual of Railway Engineering, which do not explicitly address transit rail structures. In-situ load testing and calibrated finite element analyses were conducted to study the live load performance and determine the effects of speed and centrifugal forces on dynamic amplification and live load distribution. Field-testing and model results indicated variations in live load distribution and amplification as train speed increased. In addition, live load distribution and amplification values differed from results determined using equations from AREMA and the AASHTO guidelines, documents that are commonly used to assist analysis and design due to a lack of available provisions tailored to transit rail bridges.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge Denver Transit Partners for providing extensive access to the bridge site during field testing and for providing rail cars used to load the structure. The authors also gratefully acknowledge Bridge Diagnostics, Incorporated, for providing personnel and equipment during field testing.
References
AASHTO. (2016). “LRFD bridge design specifications with 2015 and 2016 Interim Revisions.” Washington, DC.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). (1992). “Analysis and design of reinforced concrete guideway structures.” ACI 358.1R-92, Farmington Hills, MI.
ACI (American Concrete Institute). (2008). “Building code requirements for structural concrete and commentary.” ACI 318-08, Farmington Hills, MI.
Akin, J. E., and Mofid, M. (1989). “Numerical solution for response of beams with moving mass.” J. Struct. Eng., 120–131.
AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association). (2016). “Manual for railway engineering.” Lanham, MD.
ASCE (2013). “Automated people mover standards.” ASCE 21-13, Reston, VA.
Bakht, B., and Pinjarkar, S. G. (1989). “Dynamic testing of highway bridges–a review.” Transportation Research Record No. 1223, Pages 93-100, Transportation Research Board.
Chung, W., and Sotelino, E. D. (2006). “Three-dimensional finite element modeling of composite girder bridges.” Eng. Struct., 28(1), 63–71.
CSiBridge. (2016). CSiBridge software v 18.0. Computer and Structures, Inc., Berkeley, California, USA.
Deng, L., Yu, Y., Zou, Q., and Cai, C. S. (2016). “State-of-the-art review of dynamic impact factors of highway bridges.” J. Bridge Eng., 04014080.
Dimitrakopoulos, E. G., and Zeng, Q. (2015). “A three-dimensional dynamic analysis scheme for the interaction between trains and curved railway bridges.” Comput. Struct., 149, 43–60.
Dinh, V. N., Kim, K. D., and Warnitchai, P. (2009). “Dynamic analysis of three-dimensional bridge–high-speed train interactions using a wheel–rail contact model.” Eng. Struct., 31(12), 3090–3106.
Foda, M. A., and Abduljabbar, Z. (1998). “A dynamic green function formulation for the response of a beam structure to a moving mass.” J. Sound Vib., 210(3), 295–306.
Frýba, L. (1973). Vibration of solids and structures under moving loads, Springer, Netherlands.
Ghosn, M., Moses, F., and Gobieski, J. (1986). “Evaluation of steel bridges using in-service testing.” Structural design of bridges, Transportation Research Record No. 1072, Pages 71-78, Transportation Research Board.
Harris, D. K. (2010). “Assessment of flexural lateral load distribution methodologies for stringer bridges.” Eng. Struct., 32(11), 3443–3451.
Hilber, H. M., Hughes, T. J. R., and Taylor, R. L. (1977). “Improved numerical dissipation for time integration algorithms in structural dynamics.” Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn., 5(3), 283–292.
Khan, E., Linzell, D. G., Frankl, B. A., Lobo, J. A., and Lozano, S. (2016). Field measured dynamic effects and load distribution in a prestressed concrete light rail bridge. 2016 Joint Rail Conference, Columbia, South Carolina, USA, April 12–15, Sponsored by Rail Transportation Division.
Kim, C. W., Kawatani, M., and Kim, K. B. (2005). “Three-dimensional dynamic analysis for bridge–vehicle interaction with roadway roughness.” Comp. Struct., 83(19–20), 1627–1645.
Kim, S., and Nowak, A. S. (1997). “Load distribution and impact factors for I-girder bridges.” J. Bridge Eng., 97–104.
Kwark, J. W., Choi, E. S., Kim, Y. J., Kim, B. S., and Kim, S. I. (2004). “Dynamic behavior of two-span continuous concrete bridges under moving high-speed train.” Comp. Struct., 82(4–5), 463–474.
Kwasniewski, L., Li, H., Wekezer, J., and Malachowski, J. (2006). “Finite element analysis of vehicle–bridge interaction.” Finite Elem. Anal. Des., 42(11), 950–959.
Lee, H. P. (1996). “Dynamic response of a beam with a moving mass.” J. Sound Vib., 191(2), 289–294.
Litman, T. (2004). Rail transit in America: a comprehensive evaluation of benefits,Victoria Transport Policy Institute, British Columbia, Canada.
Majka, M., and Hartnett, M. (2008). “Effects of speed, load and damping on the dynamic response of railway bridges and vehicles.” Comp. Struct., 86(6), 556–572.
Model Code. (1990). “CEB/FIP Model Code for Concrete Structures.” Lausanne, Switzerland.
Olsson, M. (1991). “On the fundamental moving load problem.” J. Sound Vib., 145(2), 299–307.
Paultre, P., Chaallal, O., and Proulx, J. (1992). “Bridge dynamics and dynamic amplification factors—A review of analytical and experimental findings.” Can. J. Civ. Eng., 19(2), 260–278.
Pesterev, A. V., Yang, B., Bergman, L. A., and Tan, C.-A. (2001). “Response of elastic continuum carrying multiple moving oscillators.” J. Eng. Mech., 260–265.
Phelps, J. E. (2010). “Instrumentation, non-destructive testing, and” “finite element model updating for bridge evaluation.” M.S. thesis, Tufts Univ., Medford/Somerville, MA.
Stallings, J. M., and Yoo, C. H. (1993). “Tests and ratings of short-span steel bridges.” J. Struct. Eng., 2150–2168.
Stanišić, M. M. (1985). “On a new theory of the dynamic behavior of the structures carrying moving masses.” Ingenieur-Archiv, 55(3), 176–185.
Stanton, J. F., Roeder, C. W., and Mackenzie-Helnwein, P. (2004). “Rotation limits for elastomeric bearings.” Appendix F. Final Rep., National Cooperative Highway Research Program, Washington, DC.
STS-LIVE (2015). v 1.3.2, Bridge Diagnostics Inc., Louisville, Colorado, USA.
Tan, C. P., and Shore, S. (1968). “Response of horizontally curved bridge to moving load.” J. Struct. Div., 94(9), 2135–2154.
Ting, E. C., Genin, J., and Ginsberg, J. H. (1974). “A general algorithm for moving mass problems.” J. Sound Vib., 33(1), 49–58.
Wu, Y.-S., Yang, Y.-B., and Yau, J.-D. (2001). “Three-dimensional analysis of train-rail-bridge interaction problems.” Veh. Syst. Dyn., 36(1), 1–35.
Xia, H., Li, H. L., Guo, W. W., and De Roeck, G. (2014). “Vibration resonance and cancellation of simply supported bridges under moving train loads.” J. Eng. Mech., 04014015.
Xia, H., and Zhang, N. (2005). “Dynamic analysis of railway bridge under high-speed trains.” Comp. Struct., 83(23–24), 1891–1901.
Xu, Y. L., Li, Q., Wu, D. J., and Chen, Z. W. (2010). “Stress and acceleration analysis of coupled vehicle and long-span bridge systems using the mode superposition method.” Eng. Struct., 32(5), 1356–1368.
Yang, Y. B., and Wu, Y. S. (2001). “A versatile element for analyzing vehicle–bridge interaction response.” Eng. Struct., 23(5), 452–469.
Yang, Y.-B., and Yau, J.-D. (1997). “Vehicle-bridge interaction element for dynamic analysis.” J. Struct. Eng., 1512–1518.
Yang, Y.-B., Yau, J.-D., and L.-C. Hsu. (1997). “Vibration of simple beams due to trains moving at high speeds.” Eng. Struct., 19(11), 936–944.
Zeng, Q., Yang, Y. B., and Dimitrakopoulos, E. G. (2016). “Dynamic response of high speed vehicles and sustaining curved bridges under conditions of resonance.” Eng. Struct., 114, 61–74.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Bridge Engineering
Volume 23 • Issue 6 • June 2018
Copyright
© 2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 22, 2017
Accepted: Nov 30, 2017
Published online: Mar 29, 2018
Published in print: Jun 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Aug 29, 2018
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.