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Analysis methodology for dynamic structural behaviour modelling of highway bridges based on Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) considering vehicle-pavement-bridge interaction

Marilene Lobato Cardoso (Civil Engineering Post-Graduate Program (PGECIV), Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Guilherme Alencar (Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Brasília, Brasilia, Brazil)
José Guilherme Santos da Silva (Structural Engineering Department (ESTR), Civil Engineering Post-Graduate Program (PGECIV), Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

International Journal of Structural Integrity

ISSN: 1757-9864

Article publication date: 2 December 2024

Issue publication date: 13 February 2025

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Abstract

Purpose

To develop an analysis methodology to evaluate the dynamic behaviour and fatigue assessment of highway bridges due to vehicle passage on irregular pavement surfaces. The approach considers the non-deterministic nature of the parameters of the vehicle-bridge system using Monte Carlo simulations.

Design/methodology/approach

In the proposed approach, 11 vehicle-bridge system parameters are modelled as random variables with predefined probability distributions. The dynamic analysis considers the vehicle-structure-pavement interaction, in which road surface roughness is defined based on the use of the power spectral density function, as an expression of the road surface random irregularities. Based on the results of the dynamic analysis, a fatigue assessment is performed. To demonstrate the applicability of the methodology, a case study of a 40-m-span steel-concrete composite highway bridge was selected, considering two levels of pavement quality.

Findings

The results reveal that vehicle speed, sprung masses, bridge mass and rear axle and tire stiffness are the parameters that most influence vertical displacement, bending stress and fatigue life. Numerical simulations showed that the pavement deterioration reduced fatigue life by up to 98.6%, increasing the failure probability.

Originality/value

The dynamic behaviour and fatigue of a highway bridge are evaluated by means of vehicle-structure interaction analyses, in which the randomness of 11 parameters of the vehicle-bridge system is simulated. This includes dynamic parameters of the suspension and tires, whose variability is rarely considered due to the difficulty in obtaining sample data.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support for the development of this research work provided by the Brazilian Science Foundation’s CNPq [Grant Nbr. 305663/2022-4. Date: March/2023]; CAPES [Doctoral scholarship process 88887919953/2023-00. Date: October/2023]; and FAPERJ [Grant Nbr. E-26/203.925/2024. Date: October/2024].

Citation

Cardoso, M.L., Alencar, G. and Santos da Silva, J.G. (2025), "Analysis methodology for dynamic structural behaviour modelling of highway bridges based on Monte Carlo simulations (MCS) considering vehicle-pavement-bridge interaction", International Journal of Structural Integrity, Vol. 16 No. 1, pp. 187-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSI-09-2024-0150

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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