An Analysis of the Dynamic Behavior of Damaged Reinforced Concrete Bridges under Moving Vehicle Loads by Using the Moving Mesh Technique

This work proposes a numerical investigation on the effects of damage on the structural response of Reinforced Concrete(RC)bridge structures commonly adopted in highway and railway networks.An effective three-dimensional FE-based numerical model is developed to analyze the bridge’s structural response under several damage scenarios,including the effects of moving vehicle loads.In particular,the longitudinal and transversal beams are modeled through solid finite elements,while horizontal slabs are made of shell elements.Damage phenomena are also incorporated in the numerical model according to a smeared approach consistent with Continuum Damage Mechanics(CDM).In such a context,the proposed method utilizes an advanced and efficient computational strategy for reproducing Vehicle-Bridge Interaction(VBI)effects based on a moving mesh technique consistent with the Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian(ALE)formulation.The proposed model adopts a moving mesh interface for tracing the positions of the contact points between the vehicle’s wheels and the bridge slabs.Such modeling strategy avoids using extremely refined discretization for structural members,thus drastically reducing computational efforts.Vibrational analyses in terms of damage scenarios are presented to verify how the presence of damage affects the natural frequencies of the structural system.In addition,a comprehensive investigation regarding the response of the bridge under moving vehicles is developed,also providing results in terms of Dynamic Amplification Factor(DAFs)for typical design bridge variables.

Dynamic Analysis Method of Offshore Jack-up Platforms in Regular and Random Waves

A jack-up platform, with its particular structure, showed obvious dynamic characteristics under complex environmental loads in extreme conditions. In this paper, taking a simplified 3-D finite element dynamic model in extreme storm conditions as research object, a transient dynamic analysis method was proposed, which was under both regular and irregular wave loads. The steps of dynamic analysis under extreme conditions were illustrated with an applied case, and the dynamic amplification factor （DAF） was calculated for each response parameter of base shear, overturning moment and hull sway. Finally, the structural response results of dynamic and static were compared and analyzed. The results indicated that the static strength analysis of the Jack-up Platforms was not enough under the dynamic loads including wave and current, further dynamic response analysis considering both computational efficiency and accuracy was necessary.

Numerical simulation of deepwater deployment for offshore structures with deploying cables

Deepwater deployment of offshore structures in different sea states was investigated. The whole deployment system was modeled as a lumped mass model, and discretization scheme for cable geometry and methodology for calculating the internal and external force acting on deploying cable were presented. The deployment model suitable for the time-varying length of deploying cable was specified. The free-surface flow fields together with the ship motions were used to calculate dynamic tension in the deploying cable during deployment of the structure. The deployment of deep sea mining system which was a typical subsea working system was employed. Based on lumped mass analysis model and parameters of deep sea mining system, numerical simulations were performed, and dynamic load and dynamic amplification factor(DAF) with different cable parameters, deploying velocities and sea states were obtained. It is shown that cable parameters and amplitudes of ocean waves can significantly influence the dynamic load and DAF, and the time-varying natural period of deploying system is a dominant factor, while the effect of deploying velocity is not obvious.

Dynamic behaviors of pretensioned cable AERORail structure

The AERORail, a new aerial transport platform, was chosen as the object of this work. Following a review of the literature on static behaviors, model tests on the basic dynamic mechanical characteristics were conducted. A series of 90 tests were completed with different factors, including tension force, vehicle load and vehicle speed. With regard to the proper tension and vehicle load, at a certain speed range, the tension increments of the rail's cable were proved relatively small. It can be assumed that the change of tension is small and can be reasonably ignored when the tension of an entire span is under a dynamic load. When the tension reaches a certain range, the calculation of the cable track structure using classical cable theory is acceptable. The tests prove that the average maximum dynamic amplification factor of the deflection is small, generally no more than 1.2. However, when the vehicle speed reaches a certain value, the amplified factor will reach 2.0. If the moving loads increase, the dynamic amplification factor of dynamic deflection will also increase. The tension will change the rigidity of the structure and the vibration frequency; furthermore, the resonance speed will change at a certain tension. The vibration is noticeable when vehicles pass through at the resonance speed, and this negative impact on driving comfort requires the right velocity to avoid the resonance. The results demonstrate that more design details are required for the AERORail structure.