ABSTRACT
In this paper, the vibration study for a newly-built curved railway bridge with small radius and reverse curve was performed. The motion equations of the train passing a bridge were established in moving coordinate systems, where coordinate transformation was used to build the geometric relationship between the train and the bridge. Wheel–rail interaction was simulated based on the modified Kalker linear creep theory. 20 field vibration tests for different operating conditions of the passing train were conducted, followed by the analyses on vibration responses of the test bridge, including characteristics such as natural frequency, acceleration, velocity and displacement. The operating performance for the train passing this small radius reverse curve bridge was evaluated according to the codes, and reasonable suggestions are proposed accordingly. Comparisons are presented between the theoretical analysis and the test results for the key dynamic characteristics, and the reasonable dynamic stiffness for such bridges is discussed.
