Dynamic Analysis of Wind–Vehicle–Bridge Systems: An Advanced Hybrid Method

Abstract

To investigate the dynamics of the wind–vehicle–bridge (WVB) system in the multi-body dynamics framework, which avoids the large computation cost of programming the motion equation of complex vehicle models and improves the calculation efficiency, an advanced hybrid method is proposed to optimize the WVB system coupling vibration analysis model. The dummy body coupling (DBC) method is integrated to build the connection between the MBS and the FE model, which cannot change the mechanical characteristics of the MBS vehicle model and the bridge FE model. The proposed method makes full use of the high efficiency of the established structure modeling, the powerful wheel–rail analysis function, and vehicle modeling in the multi-body dynamics framework. The complex bridge is modeled by a number of elements to reflect the actual dynamic characteristics of structure, which cannot satisfy the requirement of calculation in the multi-body dynamics framework. Thus, to avoid forming the wheel–rail relationship function, the bridge modeling as a finite element model would be transferred into multi-body dynamics coupling model of the WVB system as a flexible body. The verification of the relationship among the sub-systems of the multi-body model of the WVB system is investigated by analysis of the wind–vehicle, wind–bridge, and vehicle–bridge sub-systems. Finally, a dynamic analysis of the WVB system based on the proposed method is carried out for a double-track railway continuous bridge, in which the effects of different vehicle speeds and the incoming wind directions are studied. The simulation of the WVB system by the hybrid method has a high computational efficiency and strong practicability.