Dynamic behavior of long-span box girder bridges subjected to moving loads: Numerical analysis and experimental verification

In this study we conducted three-dimensional dynamic analyses of long-span box girder bridges subjected to moving loads, using four-node Lagrangian and Hermite finite elements. In finite element formulation, a 6 × 6 transformation matrix is derived to transform the system element matrices before assembly. The usual 5 degrees of freedom per node are appended with an additional drilling degree of freedom in order to fit the transformation. The numerical results show good agreement with the experimental data from an existing two-span prestressed concrete box girder bridge under travelling vehicles. Parametric studies are focused on the various effects of moving loads on the dynamic behavior for different locations on the cross-section of box girder bridges.