Track-structure interaction in railway bridges

Abstract

This paper develops analysis procedures for Track-Structure Interaction in Railway Bridges, according to specifications of Spanish Code IAPF07. No general design rules are considered, except some introductory issues in section nr.1. Two levels of development are included. The first approach makes a contribution to finite difference modelling of the equilibrium and kinematic equations, which are linearized and updated in an iterative way, in a process that turns out to be quickly convergent. The software for this numerical approach is available in http://collab.upm.es/gm/folder-1.11.211816 and can be freely downloaded from this UPM site (Madrid Polytech.Univ.). The second approach benefits from general results derived from analytical solutions explained in this same paper. With the help of this solutions the calculations can be simplified extraordinarily, up to the point of being implemented with a simple spreadsheet. Also the analytical approach is valuable because it provides physical" understanding of the implicit relationships between load inputs and design decisions and their effects on internal forces and expected displacements."