Free Vibration of a Multi-span Road Bridge Supported by Point Elastic Supports

Abstract

The modelling of mechanical systems plays a primordial role in the study of structural dynamics and the vibrations that result. One presents in this work the modelling of a road bridge by a continuous multi-span orthotropic plate supported by point elastic supports along the longitudinal direction and with three-point elastic supports on the transversal direction. One has found that when the parameter of the elastic support is greater than zero, which means that the elastic supports have a high rigidity; the behaviour of the elastic supports tends towards the behaviour of the rigid supports. Note that the values of the bridge natural frequencies switch between those of a free-free bridge for the case of a lower support’ parameter and those of a simply support bridge for the upper case. Finally, one carried out the generalized modelling of the behaviour of a road bridge supported by point elastic supports for N spans by using the computer tool for carrying out different calculations and makes it possible to have a view of many cases of Road Bridge properties.