Vibration Analysis of the Bow Bridge With and Without the Soil Foundation

Abstract

Abstract. Earthquakes can impart the phenomenon of resonance, where the frequencies of seismic waves align with a bridge's natural frequency, causing amplification of vibrations that can lead to structural failures. Aiming to accurately predict potential vulnerabilities posed to the bridge when subjected to earthquakes, this research presents a vibration analysis of the Bow Bridge. Two models, which simulate the Bow Bridge with and without soil foundation, are conducted to investigate the bridges natural frequencies and mode shapes under soilless and soiled conditions. The research result shows that the average vibration frequency in a soiled environment is much lower than that in a non-soil environment, intuitively proving the mitigation of soil environment to bridges vibration frequencies. Based on the agreeable data output, this research demonstrates the feasibility of modeling in the prediction of practical construction.