Dynamics of Highway Bridges

Download or read book Dynamics of Highway Bridges written by Don Albert Linger and published by . This book was released on 1960 with total page 115 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the design of highway bridges, the static live load is multiplied by a factor to compensate for the dynamic effect of moving vehicles. This factor, commonly referred to as an impact factor, is intended to provide for the dynamic response of the bridge to moving loads and suddenly applied forces. Many investigators have published research which contradicts the current impact formula 1, 4, 17. Some investigators feel that the problem of impact deals not only with the increase in over-all static live load but that is an integral part of a dynamic load distribution problem 24. The current expanded highway program with the large number of bridge structures required emphasizes the need for investigating some of the dynamic behavior problems which have been generally ignored by highway engineers. These problems generally result from the inability of a designer to predict the dynamic response of a bridge structure. Many different investigations have been made of particular portions of the overall dynamic problem. The results of these varied investigations are inevitably followed by a number of unanswered questions. Ironically, many of the unanswered questions are those which are of immediate concern in the design of highway bridges, and this emphasizes the need for additional research on the problem of impact.