Nonlinear analysis of high-speed trains moving on bridges during earthquakes

This paper investigates the derailment of high-speed trains moving on multispan simply supported bridges. A moving wheel finite element containing contact and separation modes was developed to simulate vehicle–bridge interaction problems under seismic loads. Rail irregularities and bridge–rail– train interactions were appropriately considered in the nonlinear finite element analysis, which indicates that the derailment coefficients are enlarged with the increase of train speeds for high-speed trains moving on multispan simply supported bridges. The accelerations of elevated bridge girders may be significantly magnified during the seismic load; moreover, gaps between simply supported girders during seismic loads will produce large derailment coefficients.