Experimental Validation of a Numerical Model for Three-Dimensional High-Speed Railway Bridge Analysis by Comparison with a Small-Scale Model

The aim of this paper is to perform dynamic analysis of a multi-span railway bridge interacting with the underlying soil. A small-scale model of a bridge structure is constructed for experimental testing and the results are compared with a computational model. The computational model in this paper is based on finite-element analysis for the bridge structure and a semi-analytical solution for the subsoil. The bridge deck and columns are modelled using three-dimensional beam elements. The foundations are implemented as rigid footings placed on the ground surface. The vehicle is modelled as a two dimensional 10-degrees-of-freedom system. The subsoil model utilizes Green’s function for a horizontally layered half-space. The small-scale experimental model consists of bridge deck, columns and footings which are made from Plexiglas.
An electric vehicle travels along the bridge deck on a track to simulate a passing train. Mattress foam is used to substitute for the subsoil. The model is equipped with a number of accelerometers, strategically placed in certain positions to analyse the dynamic structural response. Finally, the results obtained from experimental tests are used to calibrate and validate the numerical model which is found to reproduce the structural response of the experimental model fairly well.