Modal Analysis of a Thin-Walled Box-Girder Bridge and Railway Track Using Finite Element Framework

Abstract

Modal analysis has received widespread acceptance in past few decades for a wide range of applications. Bridges and buildings are two of the most popular structures that use this application in the context of civil engineering. The current study aims to apply finite element technique to estimate the free vibration characteristics of a railway track and a box-girder bridge. The curved bridge is numerically modeled using thin-walled box-beam finite elements that take into account torsional warping, distortion, and distortional warping, all of which are important characteristics of thin-walled box-girders. A commercially available finite element software ANSYS is used to simulate the railway track in three dimensions. The study is restricted to the initial design stage of a thin-walled box-girder bridge decks, in which a full three-dimensional finite element model is not required. For the thin-walled box-girder bridge, a MATLAB code has been built that yields the corresponding modal parameter results, whilst the modal parameters of the railway track system are acquired using ANSYS software.

Keywords

• free vibration
• box-girder bridge
• railway track
• finite element method
• ansys