See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/357991526

An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints

Article  in  Structural Engineering & Mechanics · January 2022

DOI: 10.12989/sem.2022.82.1.041

CITATION READS

1 61

5 authors, including:

Yazhi Zhu
Tongji University
21 PUBLICATIONS   164 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Strain localization, ductile fracture and damage in ductile metals View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Yazhi Zhu on 07 April 2022.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Structural Engineering and Mechanics, Vol. 82, No. 1 (2022) 41-53
https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2022.82.1.041 41

An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints

Shiping Huang1,3,5, Huijian Zhang1, Piaohua Chen1, Yazhi Zhu2 and Enrique Zuazua4,5,6
1
School of Civil Engineering and Transportation, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, P.R. China
2
Department of Structural Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, P.R. China
3
China-Singapore International Joint Research Institute, Guangzhou 510700, P.R. China
4
Chair in Dynamics, Control and Numerics, Alexander von Humboldt-Professorship, Department of Data Science,
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
5
Chair of Computational Mathematics, Fundación Deusto, Avda. de las Universidades 24, 48007 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain
6
Departamento de Matematicas, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain

(Received July 10, 2021, Revised January 15, 2022, Accepted January 21, 2022)

Abstract. We developed an accurate and simple vibration model to calculate the natural frequencies and their corresponding
vibration modes for multi-span beam bridges with non-uniform cross-sections. A closed set of characteristic functions of a
single-span beam was used to construct the vibration modes of the multi-span bridges, which were considered single-span
beams with multiple constraints. To simplify the boundary conditions, the restraints were converted into spring constraints. Then
the functional of the total energy has the same form as the penalty method. Compared to the conventional penalty method, the
penalty coefficients in the proposed approach can be calculated directly, which can avoid the iteration process and convergence
problem. The natural frequencies and corresponding vibration modes were obtained via the minimum total potential energy
principle. By using the symmetry of the eigenfunctions or structure, the matrix size can be further reduced, which increases the
computational efficiency of the proposed model. The accuracy and efficiency of the proposed approach were validated by the
finite element method.
Keywords: beam bridge; bridge vibration; multiple constraints; natural frequency; vibration mode

1. Introduction of bridges, the acquired time domain data are decomposed

All bridges are subjected to some form of dynamic
loading (Memory et al. 1995, Weaver et al. 1990). The
dynamic properties (natural frequency and vibration mode)
of bridges strongly correlate with their structural integrity.
The modification of structural stiffness is manifested as
changes in the modal parameters (Salawu 1997, Zhou et al.
2021). Thus, the dynamic properties are essential to the
design, monitoring, evaluation, and assessment of bridges.
For example, engineering codes require the natural
frequency of footbridges to exceed some specific values
(Dallard et al. 2001). Bridge engineers increase the static
load on bridges by a factor (the impact factor or dynamic
load allowance), which is a function of the frequency, to
account for the dynamic behavior (AASHTO 2012).
Therefore, the dynamic properties of bridges play an
important role from conceptual design to construction and
from service to safety assessment. The dynamic properties
of bridges can be obtained through field tests. With the
development of sensing technology (Spencer et al. 2004,
Zhu et al. 2020), the natural frequency can be obtained at a
low cost via sensors, such as acceleration sensors (Zhu et al.
2020) and high-speed image sensors (Gamal and Eltoukhy
2005, Yu and Pan 2017). To obtain the dynamic parameters
Corresponding author, Ph.D.
E-mail: yzzhu@tongji.edu.cn
Copyright © 2022 Techno-Press, Ltd.
http://www.techno-press.com/journals/sem&subpage=7
into constituent frequencies by transform methods, such as
the Fourier transform method (Cooley et al. 1969), wavelet
transform method (Antonini et al. 1992), and empirical
mode decomposition method (Huang et al. 1998). The
acquired experimental data are compared with the
predictions from theoretical models; validated theoretical
models can be used to further assess the safety of bridges.
In terms of theoretical methods, the finite element (FE)
method (Hughes 2012, Zienkiewicz and Taylor 1977) is
widely used to investigate the dynamic responses of
structures. For dynamic analyses of bridges, the FE method
can be divided into three categories according to the model
dimensions. Bernoulli-Euler beam elements or Timoshenko
beam elements are the customary 1D elements to build 1D
models. The 1D FE method is still prevalent in structural
analysis and has been improving from the very beginning.
For example, to improve the accuracy of dynamic analysis,
the dynamic stiffness matrix (DSM) method, where the
shape functions of the element are derived from the closed-
form analytical solution of the differential equation of the
element, was proposed by Kolousek in 1941 (Kolousek
1941). Huang used the DSM method to evaluate the bridge
cable forces under a given frequency (Huang et al. 2018).
The disadvantage of a 1D model is that it cannot consider
the spatial behavior in the transverse direction. To this end,
the grillage analysis method (Ryall et al. 2001, Jaeger and
Bakht 1982) was proposed, in which bridge decks are
approximated as a grillage of interconnected beams with
equivalent bending and torsional stiffness. Since the
ISSN: 1225-4568 (Print), 1598-6217 (Online)
42 Shiping Huang, Huijian Zhang, Piaohua Chen, Yazhi Zhu and Enrique Zuazua

interconnected beams in a grillage are in a plane, grillage
analysis is considered a 2D FE method. By combining their
procedure with the spatial grillage analytical method, Lu et
al. (2009) built a new analytical method, the spatial thin-
walled box girder element grillage analysis method. Sun et
al. (2020) proposed new extended grillage methods,
including the single-layer folding surface grillage and
spatial grillage, to deal with different bridge design objects
completely in a beam-oriented environment. To further
consider complex geometries, the 3D FE method was
proposed. Song and Fujino (2008) presented an enhanced
3D FE for geometrically nonlinear analysis of cable-
supported structures. Zeng et al. (2015) created a 3D rail-
slab-girder-pier FE model to simulate slab track and bridge
subsystem, and the equations of motion for the entire
system were established based on the constraint condition
of no jump between wheel and rail. In the 3D FE method,
the model is either constructed from 3D brick elements or a
combination of 1D beam elements and shell elements.
Although the FE method has become a standard method
for structural analysis, building an appropriate FE model
requires detailed information, and solving the linear system
requires considerable computational effort. This is a long
and tedious process, and a software package is usually
required. Especially in conceptual design or preliminary
design, due to the lack of detailed information on the
structure, hundreds of FE models must be built to find the
desired structure with proper dynamic behavior by trial and
error. Thus, the pursuit of a simple solution of the dynamic
behavior has become a major concern for researchers and
engineers. Numerous works have attempted to determine a
simple solution for the dynamic behavior of bridges (Humar
2012). The single-beam analogy method is widely used in
engineering codes, in which the multi-span bridge
frequency is calculated by a single-beam solution with an
adjustable factor. This method is useful for straight,
nonskewed, continuous beam bridges with uniform stiffness
and mass. Further development of the single-beam analogy
method dates back to the work of Saibel (Saibel 1944), who
considered a multi-span bridge as a single beam with
additional constraints. The constraints are considered by the
Lagrange multiplier method (Bertsekas 2014). Saibel’s
method has also been expanded to curved beam bridges
(Culver and Oestel 1969). However, by finding a nontrivial
The remainder of this paper is organized as follows.
Section 2 demonstrates the proposed energy model for
continuous beam and rigid frame bridges. Section 3
presents and discusses the validation examples. Section 4
presents the error analysis and discussion. The conclusions
of this study are drawn in Section 5.
2. Method and materials
2.1 Energy-based theory for beam vibration with
multiple constraints
The differential equation of a beam vibrating without
external exciting forces can be expressed as follows
2  2 y  2 y
2 
EI ( x) 2  = −m( x) 2 (1)
x  x  t
where E is the elastic modulus of the beam, I(x) is the
moment of inertia of the beam, y is the deflection of the
beam at time t, x is the position of the beam, and m(x) is the
mass of the beam per unit length. Assuming that all
segments of the beam follow simple harmonic motion, the
temporal and spatial variables can be separated.
Hence, the displacement y has the following form
y = Y ( x)sin(t +  ) (2)
where ω is the angular velocity (rad/s) and φ is the phase
angle. By substituting Eq. (2) into Eq. (1), the following
relationship can be obtained

d2 d 2Y 
 = m( x) Y
2
 EI ( x ) (3)
dx 2  dx 2 
Given the boundary conditions at the ends of the beam,
such as simply supported, clamped, or free, there is a closed
set of eigenfunctions ϕr(x), and the corresponding
eigenvalues λr=ω2 for the rth mode of vibration. Since ϕr(x)
already satisfies the boundary conditions, the vibration
mode of the beam with additional constraints can be
considered a superposition of the eigenfunctions
y ( x, t ) = a11 ( x ) + a22 ( x ) + ... sin ( t +  ) (4)

solution to calculate the frequency, the completeness of the Note that the eigenfunctions have the following
constraints is indefinite. Another major challenge faced by properties
the current models is the non-uniform mass and stiffness
 L  ( x) ( x)dx = 0; r  s
distribution and the complex constraints in bridges.  0 r s
To overcome these disadvantages, this paper proposes a  L (5)
new method based on a single-beam solution to obtain the   r2 ( x)dx = constant
 0
natural frequency and vibration mode for multi-span beam
bridges. Herein, multi-span continuous beam bridges and Without energy dissipation, the total potential energy is
rigid frame bridges are treated as single-beam bridges with the same at any moment of vibration. Hereafter, we
additional constraints using the energy method, which consider the energy at the maximum position. According to
yields the same form as the penalty method (Cook 2007, Eq. (4), the maximum deflection can be expressed as
Vargas et al. 2019). This approach can consider rotational follows
and vertical constraints (and combinations thereof) and
Y ( x ) = a11 ( x ) + a22 ( x ) + ... + ann ( x ) (6)
account for non-uniform cross-sections. The proposed
method can provide a desired, accurate solution in a quick Accordingly, the strain energy at the maximum position
and simple manner. has the following form
 An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints 43

vibration, the energy stored in the spring and the energy

stored in the support pier can be expressed as follows
1 1
K d Yc2 = pYc (12)
2 2
where p is the force on the cross-section, and Yc is the
corresponding displacement. If the support pier has a
uniform cross-sectional area, the spring constant Kd in Eq.
(12) can be simplified as follows (see Appendix A)
Es As
Kd = (13)
Fig. 1 Constraints in the bridges: (a, c) First type and (b, d) Ls
Second type of constraints
where As is the cross-sectional area of the pier, Es is the
elastic modulus of the pier, and Ls is the length of the pier.
2 Similarly, for the rotation θ at the constraint point c, the
1 L  d 2Y 
U =  EI ( x )  2  dx (7) bending energy stored in the spring is equal to the bending
2 0  dx  energy stored in the support pier, as shown in Figs. 1(b)-(d)
2
The maximum deflection of the beam may be 1 1 Ls  d 2Y 
considered being produced by a steady system of K bY c2 =  Es I s ( x )  2  dx (14)
2 2 0  dx 
continuously distributed inertial forces of intensity
λm(x)Y(x) per unit length. Then, the potential energy V is If the support pier has a uniform cross-sectional area,
given as follows according to the slope-deflection equation, the spring
 constant Kb in Eq. (14) can be simplified as follows (see
m ( x ) Y ( x ) dx
L

2
V= 2
(8) Appendix B)
0
Es I s
Thus, the total potential energy without considering Kb = 4 (15)
Ls
additional constraints is expressed as follows
 = U −V (9) Therefore, when we consider multiple constraints, all
the energy stored in the constraints should be included.
Generally, structures such as buildings and bridges are Hence, the total potential energy can be expressed as
subjected to multiple constraints, such as additional follows
supports (piers) between the ends of the beam. Basically,
1 nd d 2 1 nb b 2
there are two types of constraints within a beam. The first
type of constraint restricts deflection and is used in the
 = U −V +  Ki Yci + 2 
2 i =1 i =1
K i  ci (16)

continuous beam bridges, as shown in Fig. 1(a). The second

where nd represents the number of deflection constraints
type of constraint restricts deflections and rotations and is
and nb represents the number of rotation constraints. Eq.
used in the continuous rigid frame bridges, as shown in Fig.
(16) has the same form as the penalty method, where
1(b). The second type of constraint can be viewed as a 1 𝑛𝑑 1
combination of two constraints, i.e., a deflection constraint ∑𝑖=1 𝐾𝑖𝑑 𝑌𝑐𝑖2 + ∑𝑛𝑏 𝑏 2
𝑖=1 𝐾𝑖 𝜃𝑐𝑖 is the exterior penalty
2 2
1 1
and a rotation constraint. function, 𝐾𝑖𝑑 and 𝐾𝑖𝑏 are the penalty coefficients.
2 2
Mathematically, the deflection constraint can be Compared to the conventional penalty method, the penalty
described as follows. If the displacement at point c has been coefficients in Eq. (16) can be calculated directly, which
set to Yc, it should satisfy the following equation can avoid the iteration process and convergence problem.
a11 (c) + a22 (c) + + ann (c) = Yc (10) The following equation can be used to obtain the arbitrary
parameters ai in Eq. (6)
Similarly, if the rotation at point c has been set to
θc=Yc, it should satisfy the following equation 
=0 (17)
ai
a11(c) + a22 (c) + + ann (c) = c = Yc (11)
By solving the eigenvalue equation in Eq. (17), we can
Hereafter, we consider the constraints as spring obtain a nontrivial solution of ai (eigenvectors) and the
constraints to remove the piers from the bridge. Then, the corresponding frequencies (eigenvalues). Note that the
bridge can be viewed as a single beam with multiple spring matrix size is n.
constraints, as shown in Figs. 1(c)-(d). For the deflection
constraint, the spring constant Kd can be obtained by the 2.2 Energy-based theory for multi-span bridges with
conservation of energy, i.e., the energy stored in the pier is non-uniform cross-sections
equal to that stored in the spring. For vertical beam
vibration, the pier, which is subjected to uniaxial loading 2.2.1 Uniform stiffness and mass
conditions, serves as the deflection constraint, as shown in For the continuous beam and rigid frame bridges, both
Figs. 1(a)-(c). At the maximum deflection position of the ends are simply supported, which is used to adjust the
44 Shiping Huang, Huijian Zhang, Piaohua Chen, Yazhi Zhu and Enrique Zuazua

displacement and rotation induced by thermal effects. For For long-span bridges, the stiffness and mass per unit
this kind of support, the eigenfunction has the following length along the beam are non-uniform, i.e., I(x) and m(x)
form are functions of position x. These functions can be
expressed by a general Fourier series (Edwards 2012)
r
r ( x) = ar sin( x) = ar sin(kr x) (18)
 N
 2 ix  I  2 ix 
 I ( x ) = I 0 +  ai sin  L  + bi cos  L 
L I

If I and m are constants, i.e., I(x)=I0 and m(x)=m0, then  i =1     (25)


m ( x ) = m + a m sin 
N
2 ix  m  2 ix 

we can take advantage of the orthogonal properties of the
 0 i   + bi cos  
eigenfunctions. Hence, the bending energy in Eq. (7) can be  i =1  L   L 
rewritten as follows where aiI, biI, aim and bim are Fourier coefficients. Given the
 d 2Y 
2 discrete values of I(x) and m(x) at different locations, the
1 L EI L
U=
2 0
EI 0  2  dx = 0 (k12 a12 + k 22 a22 + ...+k n2 an2 ) (19)
 dx  2 2
Fourier coefficients can be obtained via the following
expression
where I0 is the mean value of the moment of inertia.  I N
 2 ixi   m N  2 ixi 
For the potential energy V, Eq. (8) can be rewritten as  ai =  I ( xi )sin  L   ai =  m( xi )sin  L 
 i =1    i =1  
follows  and  (26)
N
b I = I ( x )cos  2 ix  N
b m = m( x )cos  2 ixi 
 i   i 
i
  m0 L i   i  
L
m0Y 2 ( x )dx =  L   L 
2 0
V= (a12 + a22 + ... + an2 ) (20) i =0 i =0

2 2
Eq. (26) can be calculated by the fast Fourier transform
where m0 is the mean value of the mass per unit weight. algorithm (Welch 1967) when the given number is
Note that the total potential energy includes three parts: considerably large. According to Eq. (16), I(x) and m(x) are
strain energy U, potential energy V and constraint energy C. related to the bending strain energy and potential energy,
Accordingly, the linear equations given by Eq. (17) can also respectively, and they have no influence on the constraint
be expressed as three separate matrices (𝑀𝑢𝑖𝑗 , 𝑀𝑣𝑖𝑗 and energy. Hence, the bending energy can be rewritten as
𝑀𝑐𝑖𝑗 ), such that follows

 M ij a j = 0 E L N
 2 ix  I  2 ix    n r 2 2 r 
2

 (21) U=   I 0 +  aiI sin   + bi cos      ar 2 sin( x)  dx

M ij = Muij − Mvij + Mcij  L   L   r =1
2 0 L 
 i =1 L
(27)
The first matrix 𝑀𝑢𝑖𝑗 contributed by the strain energy,
based on Eq. (19), has the following form Eq. (7) may be considered the superposition of a series
of Fourier terms. When only considering the first term I0, it
 k12 0 ... 0 will be simplified to the uniform moment of inertia problem
  in the last section. By introducing nonlinear terms, the
EI L 0 k22 ... 0
 Muij  = 0  (22) orthogonal properties of the eigenfunctions vanish. Let us
2 2 
  consider the contribution of the sine term. According to Eq.
 0 kn 
2
0 (17) and matrix Mu, the contribution of the ith sine term to
𝑖
The second matrix 𝑀𝑣𝑖𝑗 contributed by the potential element 𝑀𝑢𝑟𝑠 will have the following form
energy, based on Eq. (20), has the following form  2 ix   r  r  s 2 2 s 
2 2
L
Mursi = E  aiI sin    − 2 sin( x)  − 2 sin( x)  dx
 0 ... 0 0
 L  L L  L L 
 0 
1 m0 L  0  ... (28)
 Mvij  = (23)
2 2   which yields the following results
 
0 0  ELaiI s 2 r 2 4  1 − ( −1)
2i + r − s
1 − ( −1) 1 − ( −1)
2i − r + s 2i

Mursi =  + −
The third matrix 𝑀𝑐𝑖𝑗 contributed by the constraint 4 4

L  2i + r − s 2i − r + s 2i + r +
energy, based on Eq. (16), has the following form Mu i = ELai s 2 r 2 4  1 − ( −1)
I 2i + r − s
1 − ( −1)
2i − r + s
1 − ( −1)
2i + r + s
1 − ( −1)
2i − r − s
 (29)
+ − − 
4 L4  2i + r − s 2i − r + s 2i + r + s 2i − r − s 
rs

 nd nb nd nb

  Ki 11 +  Ki 11 K 1n +  Ki 1n 
d b d b
i
 i =1 i =1 i =1 i =1
 Similarly, the contribution of the ith cosine term to
 Mcij  =   element MrsU will have the following form
 nd nb nd nb 
 
 K d   + K b  
   +       2 ix   r  r  s 2 2 s 
d b 2 2
K K
Mursi = E  biI cos 
L

 i =1
i n 1
i =1
i n 1
i =1
i n n
i =1
i n n
   − 2 sin( x)  − 2 sin( x)  dx
0
 L  L L  L L 
(24)
(30)
Eq. (21) is an eigenvalue problem (Parlett 1998), in
which 𝜆 is the eigenvalue. which yields the following results
Mursi = 0 (31)
2.2.2 Fourier series approximation of non-uniform
stiffness EI(x) and mass m(x) The above results demonstrate that the integration of
 An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints 45

bending energy, which usually involves expensive

computation, can be avoided even when introducing
nonlinear terms. In the same manner, we can obtain similar
results for the nonlinear terms of the mass per unit length to
the matrix Mv as follows. The contribution of the ith sine
term to the matrix has the following form
Fig. 2 Use of symmetry to reduce the full structure (a) to a
ELaim  1 − ( −1) 1 − ( −1) 1 − ( −1) 1 − ( −1) 
2i + r − s 2i − r + s 2i + r + s 2i − r − s
half structure (b) or (c)
Mvrsi =  + − − 
4  2i + r − s 2i − r + s 2i + r + s 2i − r − s 

(32)
follows
In the same manner, the contribution of the ith cosine r 4 4 E
term to the matrix has the following form ( i x 2 + i x) xxii−1
L4 2
Mvrsi = 0 (33) Similarly, the potential energy can be expressed as
follows
2.2.3 Polynomial approximation of non-uniform (r − s) x (r − s ) x
L (r − s)( i x + i )sin( ) +  i L2 cos( )
stiffness EI(x) and mass m(x) Mv =
i E L L xi

(r − s) 
rs 2 2 xi −1
A bridge is usually assembled by a series of segments. 2
Therefore, alternatively, a piecewise linear function can be (r + s) x (r + s) x
L (r + s)( i x + i )sin( ) +  i L2 cos( )
used to describe the moment of inertia and mass per unit E L L
− xi

(r + s) 
xi −1
length. In a segment within [xi-1, xi], the function can be 2 2 2

expressed as follows (38)

 I i − I i −1
 I i ( x) = ( x − xi −1 ) + I i −1 =  i x + i ; x   xi −1 , xi  If r=s, the first term in Eq. (38) should be corrected as
 xi − xi −1 follows:

 m ( x) = mi − mi −1 E
( x − xi −1 ) + mi −1 =  i x + i ; x   xi −1 , xi  ( i x 2 + i x) xxii−1
 i xi − xi −1 2
(34)
2.3 Further simplification of the eigenvalue problem
where
 I i − I i −1 The matrix size depends on the approximate terms. To
  i = x − x ;  i = I i −1 −  i xi −1 further reduce the matrix size, we may use the symmetric
 i i −1
 properties of the eigenfunction (Culver and Oestel 1969).
 = m − m
i i −1
;i = mi −1 −  i xi −1 Most bridges and buildings are symmetric structures. Due
 i xi − xi −1 to the structural symmetry, the vibration modes exhibit
Accordingly, the bending energy can be expressed as symmetric or antisymmetric characteristics. In this case, the
follows odd vibration modes are symmetric, whereas the even
2 vibration modes are antisymmetric. Accordingly, the base
E L  m I i − I i −1  n r 2 2 r 
U=   ( x − xi −1 ) + I i −1    ar 2 sin( x)  dx eigenfunctions for the simply supported beam are either
2  i =1 xi − xi −1
0
 r =1 L L  symmetric or antisymmetric. Therefore, for the symmetric
(35) vibration mode, symmetric eigenfunctions are chosen to
reconstruct the vibration mode in Eq. (6). In the same
Again, the energy matrix can be considered the
manner, the antisymmetric eigenfunctions are chosen to
superposition of the linear functions. According to Eq. (17)
reconstruct the antisymmetric vibration mode. By doing
and matrix Mu, the contribution of the ith term to element
𝑖 this, we can reduce the size of the matrix by half. This is
𝑀𝑢𝑟𝑠 will have the following form
especially useful in engineering practice, where the first
 r 2 2 r  s 2 2 s  vibration mode is of interest.
Mursi = E  (i x + i )  − 2 sin( x)  − 2 sin( x)  dx
L

The second technique to further simplify the calculation

0
 L L  L L 
is to reduce the structure size. For symmetric structures, one
(36) can use a half structure for calculations. For the continuous
To improve the computational efficiency, Eq. (36) can beam and rigid frame bridges, the corresponding half
be expressed as follows structures are shown in Fig. 2.
(r − s ) x (r − s ) x Note that for the half structure, the basic eigenfunction
L (r − s )( i x +  i ) sin( ) +  i L2 cos( )
r 2 s 2 4 E L L in Eq. (18) has changed to the following form
Mursi = xi

(r − s) 
xi −1
L4 2 2 2

(2r − 1)
L (r + s )( i x +  i ) sin(
(r + s ) x
) +  i L2 cos(
(r + s ) x
) r ( x) = ar sin( x) = ar sin(kr x) (39)
r 2 s 2 4 E L L 2l
− xi

(r + s ) 
4 2 2 xi −1
L 2
where l is the half structure length.
(37) Additionally, that for the half structure, the
If r=s, the first term in Eq. (37) should be corrected as antisymmetric vibration mode will vanish. In other words,
46 Shiping Huang, Huijian Zhang, Piaohua Chen, Yazhi Zhu and Enrique Zuazua

Table 1 Material parameters of the FE model

FE model Our model
Parameter Elastic modulus Volume-weight Element type Kd
Poisson’s ratio
Part (MPa) (kN/m3) (number) (kN/m)
Superstructure 3.25e4 0.2 25 Beam (48) 1e8

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 3 A three-span continuous beam bridge: (a) FE model, (b) Span distribution, (c) Mid-span section, (d) Section of the
support

(a) (b)
Fig. 4 I(x) and m(x) of the three-span continuous beam bridge: (a) Moment of inertia, (b) Mass per unit length

Table 2 Comparison between the FE method and the

proposed method (Hz) This case study investigates a continuous beam bridge
Mode FE Proposed Proposed Proposed named the Longxi Bridge, which is located in Zhuhai city,
number result method (n=10) method (n=15) method (n=20) China. This three-span continuous bridge is 132 m long and
1 2.267 2.268 2.268 2.268 14.7 m wide. The detailed dimensions are shown in Table 1
2 4.567 4.557 4.557 4.556 and Fig. 3. The characteristics of I(x) and m(x) are
3 6.064 6.058 6.055 6.054 demonstrated in Fig. 4, and the polynomial approximation
4 9.002 8.992 8.986 8.982 (10 segments) is used. The corresponding vibration modes
5 14.821 15.859 14.839 14.836 are shown in Fig. 5. Table 2 shows that with a few
6 18.457 19.133 18.425 18.419 eigenfunctions (n), the proposed method can give very
7 20.764 21.345 20.841 20.826 accurate results, and the computation only involves the
8 28.217 29.910 28.216 28.178 calculation for the eigenvalue problem of the n×n matrix
(n=10,15,20). This requires much less computational effort
than the conventional FE method, in which there are 49
by using the symmetry of the eigenfunctions or the nodes, and the corresponding eigenvalue matrix size is
structure, the matrix size can be further reduced, which 294×294. In particular, the computational complexity of an
increases the computational efficiency of the proposed eigenvalue problem with matrix size n×n is O(n3), so the
model. computational workload of the proposed method (O(203)) is
less than 1% of that of the FE model (O(2943)).

3. Examples and verifications 3.2 Example 2: A continuous rigid frame bridge

3.1 Example 1: A continuous beam bridge This case study investigates a continuous rigid frame
 An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints 47

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 5 First four vibration modes of the bridge (corresponding to (a)-(d))

(a) (b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 6 A three-span continuous rigid frame bridge: (a) FE model, (b) Span distribution, (c) Mid-span section, (d) Section of
the support

Table 3 Material parameters of the FE model

FE model Our model
Parameter Elastic modulus Poisson’s Volume-weight Element type Kd Kb
Part (MPa) ratio (kN/m3) (number) (kN/m) (kNm/rad)
Superstructure 3.45e4 0.2 25 Beam (56) 46425139.58 59064037.5
Piers 3.25e4 0.2 25 Beam (8)

bridge named the Zhengguo Bridge, which is located in
Guangzhou, China. This three-span rigid frame bridge is
160 m long and 13.5 m wide. The detailed dimensions are
shown in Table 3 and Fig. 6. The characteristics of I(x) and
m(x) are demonstrated in Fig. 7, and the polynomial
approximation (15 segments) is used. The corresponding
vibration modes are shown in Fig. 8. Table 4 shows that
with a few eigenfunctions (n), the proposed method can
give very accurate results, and the computation only
involves the calculation for the eigenvalue problem of the
n×n matrix (n=10,15,20). Again, it demonstrated that it
requires much less computational effort than the
conventional FE method, in which there are 65 nodes, and
the corresponding eigenvalue matrix size is 390×390.
4. Discussions
4.1 Error analysis and discussion on the energy
The governing equation used in this paper is the Euler-
Bernoulli equation, which indicates that the proposed model
48 Shiping Huang, Huijian Zhang, Piaohua Chen, Yazhi Zhu and Enrique Zuazua

(a) (b)
Fig. 7 I(x) and m(x) of the three-span continuous rigid frame bridge: (a) Moment of inertia, (b) Mass per unit length

(a)(b)

(c) (d)
Fig. 8 First four vibration modes of the bridge (corresponding to (a)-(d))

Table 4 Comparison between the FE method and the

proposed method (Hz)
Proposed Proposed Proposed
Mode
FE result method method method
number
(n=10) (n=15) (n=20)
1 2.212 2.255 2.254 2.251
2 3.278 3.625 3.625 3.621
3 4.364 4.371 4.363 4.362
4 6.803 6.947 6.911 6.903
5 11.139 13.086 11.214 11.211
6 12.538 13.535 12.696 12.688
7 14.619 15.487 14.710 14.687 Fig. 9 Examples of a non-uniform moment of inertia
8 21.178 24.662 21.349 21.213

Although the horizontal displacement is restricted at the

has not considered the shear effect on the vibration.
Optimistically, the shear effect is minimal in continuous
beam and rigid frame bridges. To further consider the shear
effect, the total energy in Eq. (16) should include the
portion produced by the shear force and shear displacement.
The other portion of strain energy, such as axial force and
torsional force, can be treated in the same manner.
ends, during the vibration, there are still some horizontal
displacements observed in the continuous rigid frame
bridges. In that case, the rotational stiffness calculated in
Eq. (16) is underestimated. This will lead to an
overestimation of the stiffness and frequency.
4.2 Eigenfunction effect
 An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 10 First four vibration modes (corresponding to (a)-(d))
of the bridge (in blue, 𝑏1𝐼 =0; in red, 𝑏1𝐼 =0.5)
The eigenfunction used to reconstruct the solution is
based on beams of uniform cross-section. Therefore, how
the eigenfunction changes when I(x) and m(x) are non-
uniform needs to be clarified. The cosine function is a
particular function that can be used to represent non-
uniform I(x) and m(x) for a simply supported beam, which
can be expressed as Eq. (40). Examples of a non-uniform
moment of inertia are shown in Fig. 9.
 computational efficiency of the model is much higher
  2 x  
 I ( x ) = I 0 1+b1 cos 
I

   L 
 (40)
m x = m 1+b m cos  2 x  
 ( ) 0

1 
 L 


In practice, I(x) and m(x) have the same trend, i.e., m(x)
increases as I(x) increases and decreases as I(x) decreases.
For simplicity but without losing generality, we will explore
the characteristics of the eigenfunction properties while
keeping m(x) constant. Figs. 10-11 show that the
eigenfunctions vary with respect to the non-uniform
function I(x). The greater the non-uniform coefficient 𝑏1𝐼
is, the larger the difference in the eigenfunction changes
from the eigenfunction obtained by the uniform function
I(x), i.e., 𝑏1𝐼 =0. It is also observed that the lower the mode
number is, the smaller the difference between the vibration
modes for the uniform cross-section and non-uniform cross-
section will be. Thus, the accuracy of the proposed model
will decrease as the vibration mode number increases.
However, the higher vibration mode is usually not useful
for structure assessment. To increase the accuracy of the
higher vibration mode, one can increase the terms of the
eigenfunctions.
5. Conclusions
In this paper, we proposed an energy-based method to
solve a general beam vibration problem. The approach was
immediately applied to the continuous beam and rigid frame
49
(a) (b)
(c) (d)
Fig. 11 First four vibration modes (corresponding to (a)-(d))
of the bridge (in blue, 𝑏1𝐼 =0; in red, 𝑏1𝐼 =0.95)
bridges. This method uses the characteristic function set and
the corresponding characteristic value to establish the total
energy functional equation of the basic structure, and the
functional of the total energy has the same form as the
penalty method. The main conclusions are as follows:
• An accurate and simple vibration model for multi-span
beam bridges is proposed. Non-uniform cross-sections
can be considered in the proposed model and the
than the FE model.
• In the proposed method, we considered all
intermediate supports in the beam as the constraints, and
these constraints were further converted to constraint
springs in the system.
• The vibration mode was treated as the superposition of
eigenfunctions of the single-span beam. By minimizing
the total potential energy, we transformed the problem
into a conventional eigenvalue problem.
• Compared to the conventional penalty method, the
penalty coefficients in the proposed approach can be
calculated directly, which can avoid the iteration process
and convergence problem.
• Using the symmetry of the eigenfunctions or the
structure, the matrix size can be further reduced, which
increases the computational efficiency of the proposed
model.
This approach is useful for conceptual design and
parameter-dependent vibration calculations. The framework
of the proposed approach can be easily extended to study
other types of bridges.
Acknowledgments
S.P. Huang was supported by the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (grant no.
11672108,11202080) and the Fundamental Research Funds
for the Central Universities. Zuazua’s project has received
funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under
50 Shiping Huang, Huijian Zhang, Piaohua Chen, Yazhi Zhu and Enrique Zuazua
the European Unionâs Horizon 2020 research and
innovation programme (grant agreement NO. 694126-
DyCon). The work of both authors was partially supported
by the Grant MTM2017-92996-C2-1-R COSNET of
MINECO (Spain) and by the Air Force Office of Scientific
Research (AFOSR) under Award NO. FA9550-18-1-0242.
The work of E.Z. was partially funded by the Alexander
von Humboldt-Professorship program, the European Unions
Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under
the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No.765579-
ConFlex, the Grant ICON-ANR-16-ACHN-0014 of the
French ANR and the Transregio 154 Project “Mathematical
Modelling, Simulation and Optimization Using the
Example of Gas Networks” of the German DFG.
Reference
Memory, T., Thambiratnam, D. and Brameld, G. (1995), “Free
vibration analysis of bridges”, Eng. Struct., 17(10), 705-713.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0141-0296(95)00037-8.
Weaver Jr, W., Timoshenko, S.P. and Young, D.H. (1990),
Vibration Problems in Engineering, John Wiley & Sons,
Hoboken, NJ, USA.
Salawu, O.S. (1997), “Detection of structural damage through
changes in frequency: A review”, Eng. Struct., 19(9), 718-723.
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0141-0296(96)00149-6.
Zhou, Y.J., Zhao, Y., Liu, J. and Jing, Y. (2021), “Unified
calculation model for the longitudinal fundamental frequency of
continuous rigid frame bridge”, Struct. Eng. Mech., 77(3), 343-
354. https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2021.77.3.343.
Dallard, P., Fitzpatrick, A., Flint, A., Le Bourva, S., Low, A.,
Ridsdill Smith, R. and Willford, M. (2001), “The london
millennium footbridge”, Struct. Eng., 79(22), 17-33.
AASHTO, L. (2012), Aashto lrfd Bridge Design Specifications.
American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials, Washington, DC, USA.
Spencer Jr, B., Ruiz‐Sandoval, M.E. and Kurata, N. (2004),
“Smart sensing technology: Opportunities and challenges”,
Struct. Control Hlth. Monit., 11(4), 349-368.
https://doi.org/10.1002/stc.48.
Zhu, J., Wang, W., Huang, S. and Ding, W. (2020), “An improved
calibration technique for mems accelerometer-based
inclinometers”, Sensor., 20(2), 452.
https://doi.org/10.3390/s20020452.
El Gamal, A. and Eltoukhy, H. (2005), “Cmos image sensors”,
IEEE Circuit. Devic. Mag., 21(3), 6-20.
https://doi.org/10.1109/mcd.2005.1438751.
Yu, L.P. and Pan, B. (2017), “Single-camera high-speed stereo-
digital image correlation for full-field vibration measurement”,
Mech. Syst. Signal Pr., 94, 374-383.
http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymssp.2017.03.008.
Cooley, J.W., Lewis, P.A. and Welch, P.D. (1969), “The fast
fourier transform and its applications”, IEEE Tran. Edu., 12(1),
27-34. https://doi.org/10.1109/TE.1969.4320436.
Antonini, M., Barlaud, M., Mathieu, P. and Daubechies, I. (1992),
“Image coding using wavelet transform”, IEEE Tran. Image
Proc., 1(2), 205-220. https://doi.org/10.1109/83.136597.
Huang, N.E., Shen, Z., Long, S.R., Wu, M.C., Shih, H.H., Zheng,
Q., Yen, N.C., Tung, C.C. and Liu, H.H. (1998), “The empirical
mode decomposition and the hilbert spectrum for nonlinear and
non-stationary time series analysis”, Proc. Roy. Soc. London.
Ser. A: Math. Phys. Eng. Sci., 454(1971), 903-995.
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1998.0193.
Hughes, T.J. (2012), The Finite Element Method: Linear Static
and Dynamic Finite Element Analysis, Courier Corporation, N
Chelmsford, MA, USA.
Zienkiewicz, O.C., Taylor, R.L., Nithiarasu, P. and Zhu, J. (1977),
The Finite Element Method, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY,
USA.
Koloušek, V. (1941), “Anwendung des gesetzes der virtuellen
verschiebungen und des reziprozitätssatzes in der
stabwerksdynamik”, Ingenieur-Archiv, 12(6), 363-370.
https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02089894.
Huang, Y., Gan, Q., Huang, S. and Wang, R. (2018), “A dynamic
finite element method for the estimation of cable tension”,
Struct. Eng. Mech., 68(4), 399-408.
https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2018.68.4.399.
Ryall, M.J., Hewson, N., Parke, G. and Harding, J. (2000), The
Manual of Bridge Engineering, Thomas Telford, London, UK.
Jaeger, L.G. and Bakht, B. (1982), “The grillage analogy in bridge
analysis”, Can. J. Civil Eng., 9(2), 224-235.
https://doi.org/10.1139/l82-025.
Lu, P.Z., Zhang, J.P., Zhao, R.D. and Huang, H.Y. (2009),
“Theoretical analysis of Y-shape bridge and application”,
Struct. Eng. Mech., 31(2), 137-152.
https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2009.31.2.137.
Sun, Y., Dai, S.C., Xu, D., Zhu, H.P. and Wang, X.M. (2020),
“New extended grillage methods for the practical and precise
modeling of concrete box-girder bridges”, Adv. Struct. Eng.,
23(6), 1179-1194. https://doi.org/10.1177/1369433219891559.
Song, M.K. and Fujino, Y. (2008), “Dynamic analysis of
guideway structures by considering ultra high-speed Maglev
train-guideway interaction”, Struct. Eng. Mech., 29(4), 355-380.
https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2008.29.4.355.
Zeng, Z.P., He, X.F., Zhao, Y.G., et al. (2015), “Random vibration
analysis of train-slab track-bridge coupling system under
earthquakes”, Struct. Eng. Mech., 54(5), 1017-1044.
https://doi.org/10.12989/sem.2015.54.5.1017.
Humar, J. (2012), Dynamics of Structures, CRC Press, Boca
Raton, FL, USA.
Saibel, E. (1944), “Vibration frequencies of continuous beams”, J.
Aeronaut. Sci., 11(1), 88-90. https://doi.org/10.2514/8.11101.
Bertsekas, D.P. (2014), Constrained Optimization and Lagrange
Multiplier Methods, Academic press, New York, NY, USA.
Culver, C. and Oestel, D. (1969), “Natural frequencies of
multispan curved beams”, J. Sound Vib., 10(3), 380-389.
https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-460x(69)90216-8.
Cook, R.D. (2007), Concepts and Applications of Finite Element
Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ, USA.
Vargas, D.E., Lemonge, A.C., Barbosa, H.J., Bernardino, H.S.
(2019), “Differential evolution with the adaptive penalty
method for structural multi-objective optimization”, Optimiz.
Eng., 20(1), 65-88. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11081-018-9395-4.
Parlett, B.N. (1998), The Symmetric Eigenvalue Problem. Siam,
Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Edwards, R.E. (2012), Fourier Series: A Modern Introduction,
Springer Science & Business Media, Berlin, Germany.
Welch, P. (1967), “The use of fast fourier transform for the
estimation of power spectra: A method based on time averaging
over short, modified periodograms”, IEEE Tran. Audio
Electroacoust., 15(2), 70-73.
https://doi.org/10.1109/tau.1967.1161901.
McCormac, J.C. and Elling, R.E. (1988), Structural Analysis: A
Classical and Matrix Approach, Harper & Row, New York,
NY, USA.
Wilbur, J.B. (1948), Elementary Structural Analysis, McGraw-Hill
International Book Company, New York, NY, USA.
CC
 An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints 51

Appendix A: Derivation of the spring constant Kd

For the continuous beam bridge, the pier is considered a

spring. The spring constant Kd is derived hereafter. In
uniaxial loading, the compressive stress can be calculated as
follows
𝜎 = 𝐹/𝐴(𝑥) (A.1)
where A(x) is the cross-sectional area and F is the uniaxial
force. The constitutive law is expressed as follows
𝜎 = 𝐸𝜀 (A.2)
The corresponding strain is expressed as follows
𝐹
𝜀= (A.3)
𝐸𝐴(𝑥)

The deflection can be expressed as follows

𝐹 𝐿 𝑑𝑥
Δ = ∫0 (A.4)
𝐸 𝐴(𝑥) Fig. B.2 Rotation of beam ends: (a) Deformed structure, (b)
Then, we obtain the following expression Raw rotation, (c) Chord rotation
𝐸𝛥
F= 𝐿 𝑑𝑥 (A.5)
∫0 𝐴(𝑥)

If A(x) is constant, we have the following equation

Δ
𝐹 = 𝐸𝐴 (A.6)
𝐿

The strain energy, which is equal to the energy of the

spring system, stored in the pier is equal to the product of F
and . In the spring system, F=Kd; thus, Kd can be
obtained by Eq. (A.5)
𝐸
𝐾𝑑 = 𝐿 𝑑𝑥 (A.7)
∫0 𝐴(𝑥)
If A(x) is constant, we have the following equation
𝐸𝐴
𝐾𝑑 = (A.8)
𝐿
Appendix B: Derivation of the spring constant Kb
based on the slope-deflection equation
A simple method to calculate the spring constant Kb can
be obtained by the slope-deflection equation in structural
analysis, where the rotational stiffness is the moment of a
simple beam caused by a unit rotation. The slope-deflection
method was introduced in 1914 by George A. Maney
(McCormac and Elling 1988, Wilbur 1948). The derivation
can also be found in the literature (McCormac and Elling
1988, Wilbur 1948), where the cross-section of the beam is
uniform. For completeness, a general slope-deflection
equation for a non-uniform I(x) is derived hereafter. The
relationship between the beam end rotation and the
corresponding induced moment is derived. A beam with
two fixed ends is illustrated in Fig. B.1. It is assumed that
the beam is axially rigid for the slope-deflection method.
Fig. B.3 Relation between the raw rotation and the
corresponding moment: (a) Original structure, (b)
Equivalent determinate structure
The rotation of the beam ends can be divided into two
parts in Fig. B.2: the first part is the rotation along with the
coordinate system (the rotation is measured by the angle of
the tangential direction and the x-axis), which is referred to
as raw rotation, and the second part is the rotation caused by
the vertical translation Δ between A and B, which is
referred to as chord rotation. The total moment caused by
these two deformations can be obtained using the
superposition method.
(1) Relation between the raw rotation and moment
In this case, the beam has been subjected to raw rotation
θa and θb, as shown in Fig. B.3(a). The moments produced
by these raw rotations are mab and mba, respectively. This
deformed beam can be considered a simply supported beam
with moment mab and mba, as shown in Fig. B.3(b).
Using the unit force method, i.e., the virtual work
caused by the virtual force (unit force) is equal to the virtual
strain energy by the virtual force, as shown in Fig. B.4. We
obtain the following expression
𝑚𝑎𝑏 ⋅𝑚1 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ⋅𝑚1
𝜃𝑎 = ∫ 𝑑𝑥 + ∫ 𝑑𝑥
𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)
{ 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ⋅𝑚2 𝑚𝑎𝑏 ⋅𝑚2
(B.9)
𝜃𝑏 = ∫ 𝑑𝑥 + ∫ 𝑑𝑥
𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)

Fig. B.1 A simple beam fixed at both ends where 𝑚

̅ 1 is the moment at end A and 𝑚
̅ 2 is the moment
52 Shiping Huang, Huijian Zhang, Piaohua Chen, Yazhi Zhu and Enrique Zuazua

Fig. B.4 Moment diagrams: (a) Moment diagram of 𝑚

̅ 1 (b)
Moment diagram of 𝑚 ̅2

Fig. B.6 Moment caused by relative translation: (a) Original

structure, (b) Rigid rotation without an end moment, (c)
Deformed structure

(2) Relation between the chord rotation and moment

Similarly, the vertical translation Δ between A and B

Fig. B.5 Moment caused by the relative translation: (a)
will produce moment mab and mba. In this case, the raw
Original structure, (b) Equivalent determinate structure
rotation is zero. The chord rotation can be calculated as
follows:
at end B. Since mab and mba are linear functions, they can be 𝛥
𝜃𝑎 ′ = 𝜃𝑏 ′ = (B.15)
expressed as follows 𝐿

If ends A and B simultaneously rotate by a chord

𝑚 = 𝑚1 ⋅ 𝑚𝑎𝑏
{ 𝑎𝑏 (B.10) rotation angle of a=b=/L, the beam experiences rigid
𝑚𝑏𝑎 = 𝑚2 ⋅ 𝑚𝑏𝑎 rotation, which will not cause any end moment or stress, as
Thus, Eq. (B.9) can be rewritten as follows shown in Fig. B.6. The configuration in Fig. B.5 can be
considered rotating a raw angle from the zero moment
𝜃𝑎 = 𝑚𝑎𝑏 ∫
𝑚1 ⋅𝑚1
𝑑𝑥 + 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ∫
𝑚2 ⋅𝑚1
𝑑𝑥 position in an opposite direction by a=b=/L. Thus, the
𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)
{ 𝑚1 ⋅𝑚2 𝑚2 ⋅𝑚2
(B.11) moment mab and mba can be calculated by the raw angle
𝜃𝑏 = 𝑚𝑎𝑏 ∫ 𝑑𝑥 + 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ∫ 𝑑𝑥 method derived in the last section, i.e., mab and mba can be
𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)
expressed as follows
By substituting the expressions of 𝑚̅ 1 and 𝑚
̅ 2 into Eq. 𝛥
(B.11), the following equation can be obtained 𝑚 ′ 𝐶 𝐶12 -1 − 𝐿
[ 𝑎𝑏 ] = [ 11 ] [ 𝛥] (B.16)
𝑥 2 𝑥 𝑥 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ′ 𝐶21 𝐶22 −
𝐿 (1−𝐿) 𝐿 −(1−𝐿)⋅(𝐿) 𝐿
𝜃𝑎 = 𝑚𝑎𝑏 ∫0 𝑑𝑥 + 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ∫0 𝑑𝑥
𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)
{ 𝑥 𝑥 𝑥 2
(B.12) Thus, for a simple beam under the rotation and relative
𝐿 −(1−𝐿)⋅(𝐿) 𝐿 ( 𝐿)
𝜃𝑏 = 𝑚𝑎𝑏 ∫0 𝑑𝑥 + 𝑚𝑏𝑎 ∫0 𝑑𝑥 translation, the corresponding moment mab and mba can be
𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)
expressed as follow
Eq. (B.12) can be written in matrix form as follows
𝛥
𝜃 𝐶 𝐶12 𝑚𝑎𝑏 𝑚𝑎𝑏 𝐶 𝐶12 -1 𝜃𝑎 − 𝐿
[ 𝑎 ] = [ 11 ][ ] [𝑚 ] = [ 11 ] [ 𝛥] (B.17)
𝜃𝑏 𝐶21 𝐶22 𝑚𝑏𝑎 (B.13) 𝑏𝑎 𝐶21 𝐶22 𝜃 − 𝑏 𝐿
where Eq. (B.17) can be rewritten in the following form
𝑥 2 𝑥 𝑥
𝐿 (1−𝐿) 𝐿 −(1−𝐿)⋅(𝐿) 𝛥
𝐶 𝐶12 ∫0 𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝑑𝑥 ∫0 𝐸𝐼(𝑥)
𝑑𝑥 𝑚𝑎𝑏 𝐾 𝐾12 𝜃𝑎 − 𝐿
[ 11 ]=[ ] [𝑚 ] = [ 11 ][ ] (B.18)
𝐶21 𝐶22 𝑥 𝑥
𝐿 −(1−𝐿)⋅(𝐿)
𝑥
𝐿 ( 𝐿)
2 𝑏𝑎 𝐾21 𝐾22 𝜃 − 𝛥
𝑑𝑥 𝑑𝑥 𝑏
∫0 𝐸𝐼(𝑥) ∫0 𝐸𝐼(𝑥) 𝐿

where
Note that mab and mba can be obtained as follows
𝐾11 𝐾12 𝐶 𝐶12 ‐1
𝑚𝑎𝑏 𝐶 𝐶12
-1
𝜃 [ ] = [ 11 ]
[𝑚 ] = [ 11 ] [ 𝑎] (B.14) 𝐾21 𝐾22 𝐶21 𝐶22
𝑏𝑎 𝐶21 𝐶22 𝜃𝑏
 An energy-based vibration model for beam bridges with multiple constraints 53

Note that for the pier in the continuous rigid frame

bridge, due to the constraint by the superstructure, the
translation Δ and rotation θb are zero. Thus, Kb is equal to
K11
𝐾𝑏 = 𝐾11 (B.19)

View publication stats