Analysis of dynamic interaction between suspension bridges and running trains

In this paper a new approach based on substructure technique is proposed to investigate the effects of dynamic interaction between suspension bridges and railway vehicles. The bridge-train system is idealized as the assemblage of four substructures: the main cable, the hangers, the stiffening girder and the railway vehicles. The equations of motion of the assembled system are derived and reduced by applying a variant of the component-mode synthesis method. A numerical application concerning a single-span suspension bridge traversed by a train with constant velocity is presented.