Simulation of Vehicle–bridge Coupling Vibration Considering the Transient Jump of the Wheel

Abstract

The transient jump of the wheel is a possible phenomenon in the actual running of light transit. But it is seldom considered in the analysis of vehicle-bridge coupling vibration. In this paper, the so-called alterable element method (AEM) is employed to deal with the coupling interaction of vehicle and bridge considering the actual transient jump of the wheel, and so the classical "contact all along" assumption, which regards wheels and lower structures as being always in contact with each other, is abandoned. In the numerical study, different moving vehicle models where the effects of random and abrupt corrugation are taken into consideration are presented. Also, the effect of velocity on the transient jump is investigated. The numerical solutions compare favorably with the results obtained by alternative methods when no jump phenomenon exists. By using the present method, the transient jump of the wheel with abrupt irregularity is studied. Compared with results of the semianalytical method, the validity of the simulation is confirmed.