BRIDGE VIBRATIONS AS INFLUENCED BY ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS

INASMUCH AS MANY HIGHWAY BRIDGES ARE NOW BEING BUILT WITH ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS, IT WAS CONSIDERED DESIRABLE TO STUDY THE VIBRATION EFFECTS OF SUCH BRIDGES. A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS IS PRESENTED FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL EXAMPLE CALCULATIONS OF SHORT AND MEDIUM SPAN BRIDGES. GENERAL RELATIONSHIPS ARE PRESENTED TO DETERMINE THE FREQUENCY OF VIBRATION OF SIMPLE SPAN BRIDGES IN THE FUNDAMENTAL MODE AND THE RATIO OF BRIDGE BEAM DEFLECTIONS TO THE FLEXIBLE BEARING DEFLECTION UNDER VIBRATION SUBJECT TO VEHICULAR LOADS. CONTRASTING THE BEHAVIOR OF BRIDGES WITH ELASTOMERIC BEARING AND WITH CONVENTIONAL RIGID BEARINGS, THE FOLLOWING GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ARE FOUND: (1) THE DYNAMIC BRIDGE DEFLECTIONS ARE INCREASED, (2) THE FREQUENCY OF VIBRATION IS REDUCED, (3) THE ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS ADD DAMPING TO THE SYSTEM, AND (4) THE DYNAMIC STRESSES IN THE BRIDGE ARE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. THE FACT THAT THE IMPACT STRESSES ARE REDUCED IS QUITE REVEALING, AS ELASTOMERIC BEARINGS MAY LEAD TO FURTHER STRUCTURAL ECONOMY, WHEREBY LESS TOLERANCE NEED BE ALLOWED FOR IMPACT. /AUTHOR/

• Record URL:
  http://onlinepubs.trb.org/Onlinepubs/hrbbulletin/315/315-002.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • No 315, pp 27-34, 2 FIG, 6 REF Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved
• Authors:
  • Zuk, William
• Conference:
  • 40th Annual Meeting of the Highway Research Board
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 1961-1-9 to 1961-1-13
• Publication Date: 1962

Media Info

• Monograph Title: Bridge dynamics and deflections, and fatigue in welded beams
• Serial:
  • Highway Research Board Bulletin
  • Issue Number: 315
  • Publisher: Highway Research Board

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alternatives analysis; Beams; Bridge bearings; Bridge superstructures; Damping (Physics); Deflection; Dynamic structural analysis; Elastomers; Highway bridges; Stiffness; Stresses; Theory; Vibration
• Uncontrolled Terms: Bridge spans
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00208504
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Aug 12 1994 12:00AM