HIGHWAY BRIDGE VIBRATIONS

THE RESPONSE OF A HIGHWAY BRIDGE TO A MOVING VEHICLE IS A PROBLEM OF STRUCTURAL DYNAMICS. DESIGNS ARE USUALLY BASED UPON STATIC CONSIDERATIONS ALONE, AND STATIC DEFORMATION LIMITATIONS BEAR LITTLE RELATION TO DYNAMIC DEFORMATIONS OR VIBRATIONS. THE PAPER SHOWS HOW BRIDGES PERFORM UNDER DYNAMIC LOADING AND INDICATES WHAT IS KNOWN AND NOT KNOWN ABOUT FREQUENCIES OF VIBRATION, STIFFNESS, AMPTITUDES OF VIBRATION, VIBRATION INTENSITIES AND HUMAN RESPONSE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT PREVAILING STATIC DEFORMATION RESTRICTIONS IN DESIGN CODES SHOULD BE REMOVED, AND THAT HIGHWAY BRIDGE VIBRATIONS NEED NOT BE REGARDED AS PRINCIPAL DESIGN PROBLEMS EXCEPTING IN CASES WHERE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC WILL BE IMPORTANT. /CGRA/A/