Transverse vibrations of prestressed continuous beams on rigid supports under the action of moving bodies

Abstract

The main objective of the paper is to investigate the dynamic response of the prestressed beams on rigid supports to moving concentrated loads. The governing equation of the transverse vibration of a prestressed continuous beam under the ununiformly distributed load is analytically formulated, taking into account the effect of the prestressing. The forced transverse vibration of the beam under the action of a large number of moving bodies has been investigated by using the method of substructures. In addition, the reaction forces at every rigid supports can be determined from the obtained differential equations. A comparison between the numerical results for the prestressed and the non-prestressed beam is presented to show the influence of the prestressing and the moving velocity of the bodies on the dynamic response of the beam. The calculating results are also examined and validated by experimental measurements at a large ferroconcrete bridge in Vietnam. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.