Numerical modelling of free field traffic-induced vibrations

This paper deals with the numerical modelling of free field traffic-induced vibrations during the passage of a vehicle on an uneven road. The road une venness subjects the vehicle to vertical oscillations that cause dynamic ax le loads. The latter are calculated from the vehicle transfer functions and the frequency content of the road profile as experienced by the vehicle ar ;les. A transfer function between the source and the receiver that accounts for the dynamic interaction between the road and the soil is used to calcu late the free field response. Its calculation is based on a dynamic substru cture method, using a boundary element method for the soil and an analytica l beam model for the road. The methodology is validated with analytical res ults and is finally illustrated by a numerical example where the free field vibrations during the passage of a vehicle on a traffic plateau are consid ered. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.