MODELS FOR COUPLING BRIDGE SUBSYSTEMS

Abstract

The evident advances of the computational power of the digital computers enable the modeling of the total system of structures. Such modeling demands compatible representations of the couplings of different structural subsystems. Therefore, models of dynamic interaction between the vehicle and the bridge and models of a bridge bearing, a coupling element between the bridge’s superstructure and substructure, are of interest. This paper discusses some models for the coupling possibilities in bridge engineering. The emphasis is on modeling the coupling functionality rather than modeling the vehicle or the bridge bearing as individual entities