Marielos Jauregui CE 122-06 Term Paper Dr. M.

Ronald Yeung 11/29/2011

Wind Action: Dynamic Response of Train on Suspension Bridge China boasts the worlds largest population with several of its regions containing the same populations as some major countries (http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_1950_population.htm). This amazing growth not in population has catapulted China as one of the major players on the economic stage which in turn has led to Chinas Splurge in infrastructure. As we analyze Chinas development especially when public transportation is concerned, suspension bridge systems would not only need to be larger in number than those of other developed nations but the suspension spans would also need to be longer. Furthermore, these bridges are very slender, low damped, and are located in highwind/typhoon environments (Archt. Civ. Eng. China, 2007). The article, Dynamic response of a long span suspension bridge and running safety of a train under wind action, basically addresses the issue that up until recently most researchers would focus on testing the effects of wind on long suspension bridges without taking into consideration the train that would potentially run on it; more explicitly, a passenger train. This article laid out how researchers are seeing the need to take into great consideration how the lateral wind pressure on the moving train induces the bridge to deflect. This resulted in the velocity of the train to be limited to 160km/h but analyzing the reaction of the bridge with a moving train on it, caused the bridge to vibrate significantly, yet this vibration is dangerous not

so much to the stability of the bridge, but it can play a major role in the derailment of the train. The article clearly explains all the forces acting on both the train and the bridge and even presents the formulas used in the calculations of the forces involved. Finally, the researched asserted that after the calculations and two different analyses. One a dynamic analysis model of a train-bridge-wind system and a second, rail-cum-road suspension bridge scheme, concluded that under a turbulent wind ranging from 30m/s the offload factor exceeds the allowed value and at wind speed of 40m/s the derailment factor and overturn factor exceed the safety limits. This study links the importance of recognizing that as we push technology to serve the public sector at an intensive rate, further safety precautions need to be implemented right from the data analysis phase.