Three-dimensional dynamic analysis for bridge–vehicle interaction with roadway roughness

A three-dimensional means of analysis is proposed for the bridge–vehicle interaction to investigate the dynamic responses of a steel girder bridge and vehicles. The governing equations of motion for a three-dimensional bridge–vehicle interaction system taking the roadway surface into account are derived using the Lagrange equation of motion while the coupled bridge–vehicle interaction system is solved using Newmark’s β method. A cargo truck, dump truck and steel girder bridge are considered numerical models and measured roadway roughness profiles are used for analyses. The analytical dynamic wheel loads and acceleration responses of the heavy vehicles and responses of the bridge are compared with data from field tests to verify the validity of the proposed procedure. The correlation between the analytical and experimental results is satisfactory.