Dynamic analysis of arch bridges under travelling loads

Abstract A dynamic analysis of arch bridges traversed by a single moving load is presented using a mixed approach in which the advantages of continuum and lumped mass methods have been combined. The bridge deck is idealized by a flat plate supported by struts of equal stiffness. The applicability of the method is studied by comparing the results with those obtained by the lumped mass method. The results indicate that for a relatively stiff arch supporting a flexible deck, the proposed and the lumped mass methods show good agreement. The dynamic behaviour of the bridge under some important parametric variations is also presented.