The dynamic amplification factors for continuous beam bridges along high-speed railways

Abstract

In this paper, the dynamic amplification factors (DAFs) of high-speed railway continuous girder bridges are studied. The vehicle-bridge interactions (VBIs) of 13 concrete continuous girder bridges with spans ranging from 48 to 130 m are analyzed, the influences of the train speed, the train marshalling and the bridge fundamental frequency on the DAF are investigated, and the DAF design standard for high-speed railway bridges is discussed. The results indicate that for the continuous beam bridge whose fundamental frequency is less than 3.0 Hz, the maximum DAF is no more than 1.15; while for the bridge examples with a fundamental frequency larger than 3.0 Hz, the maximum DAF reaches 1.25 because the resonance occurs at high train speed. The empirical formulas of the DAFs in the Japan Railway Technical Research Institute (JRTRI) code could provide a conservative estimation of the DAFs of high-speed railway continuous bridges.