Dynamic response of single and multi-span beams under a moving load using dynamic stiffness formulations and Galerkin's method

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the dynamic response analysis of single and multi-span beams under moving point loads. The Dynamic Stiffness Method (DSM) is used to calculate the mode frequencies and shapes of single, two and four-span Bernoulli-Euler beams. The exact mode shapes obtained from dynamic stiffness formulations are used to derive generalized mass, stiffness and force terms for normal modes using Galerkin 's method. This enables efficient and accurate calculation of the time-history response of the investigated structures. This is demonstrated by comparing the results from this study with advanced finite element simulations of the same problem from the literature. The results validate the accuracy of this approach and demonstrate how this technique can be used to model dynamic amplification of bridges under the influence of moving loads. © 2020 European Association for Structural Dynamics. All rights reserved.