Assessing the dynamic response of long-span bridges under simultaneous wind and traffic loads

2026-04-27

AI Summary

This study addresses the limitations of conventional approaches that treat wind and traffic loads in isolation, thereby neglecting their nonlinear coupling effects on the dynamic response of long-span bridges. A comprehensive vehicle–wind–bridge coupled dynamic model is developed, integrating Kármán wind spectra with Davenport coherence for turbulent wind fields, ISO road roughness profiles, three-dimensional vehicle dynamics, and quasi-steady aerodynamic theory to perform time-history analyses. Moving beyond the assumption of linear superposition, the research uncovers the nonlinear interaction mechanisms under multi-source loading and accurately quantifies bridge response characteristics. The findings establish a new paradigm and provide a scientific foundation for evaluating service performance, formulating serviceability criteria, and optimizing structural design of long-span bridges.

Technology Category

• Application Domains: Mobility, Driving & Flight
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Mixed Discrete/Continuous Search

Application Category

• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Web performance, measurement, and characterization
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Studies of user behavior, including longitudinal effects of personalized systems

Abstract

Wind-traffic interactions strongly influence the dynamic response of long-span bridges, yet loads are often analysed independently. This work models concurrent wind and traffic and demonstrates that it differs from linear superposition. Traffic is synthesised from volumes, composition, and vehicle dynamics, with vehicles represented as 3D systems. Vehicle-pavement interaction adopts ISO roughness with transverse coherence, and wind turbulence follows the Kármán spectrum with Davenport coherence. A quasi-steady aerodynamic model supports time-history analysis under combined actions. Results indicate non-linear interactions that change response, revealing limitations of conventional design assumptions. The framework enables accurate performance assessment and informs serviceability criteria and design optimisation for long-span bridges.

Problem

• long-span bridges
• wind-traffic interaction
• dynamic response
• coupled loads
• non-linear interaction

Innovation

• wind-traffic interaction
• nonlinear dynamic response
• coherence modeling
• quasi-steady aerodynamics
• long-span bridges