Abstract
The information contained in this paper will be of interest not only to bridge engineers, but also to train manufacturers. The article provides practical insight into the degree of coverage of real articulated trains (ATs) that Eurocode EN1991-2 guarantees. In both the design of new railway bridges, as well as in the assessment of existing ones, the importance of a detailed knowledge of the limits of validity of load models cannot be overemphasised. Being essential components of the rail transportation system, the capacity of bridges to withstand future traffic demands will be determined precisely by the load models. Therefore, accurate definition of the limits of validity of such models reveals crucial when increased speeds and/or increased axle loads are required by transportation pressing priorities. The most relevant load model for a significant portion of the bridges in high-speed railway lines is the so-called HSLM-A model, defined in EN1991-2. Their limits of validity are described in Annex E of such code. For its singular importance, the effects of vibrations induced by HSLM-A are analysed in this paper with attention to the response of simply supported bridges. This analysis is carried out in a view to determine whether the limits of validity given in Annex E of EN1991-2 cover the largest part of cases of interest. Specifically, the vibration effects of HSLM-A are compared with those of the ATs described in such Annex E, and the response is analysed in depth for simply supported bridges, which are structures especially sensitive to passing trains at high speeds. New theoretical approaches have been developed in order to undertake this investigation, including a novel, simplified expression of the train signature for ATs that is convenient for its low computational cost. The mathematical proofs are included in the first part of the paper and two separate appendices.
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