Modification of the Conventional Method for the Track-Bridge Interaction

In order to obtain the interaction behavior between the track and the bridge, the various design codes adopted generally the recommendations of the UIC leaflet. The maximum longitudinal stress (force) in the rail can be calculated by the linear combination of the results obtained by the separate analysis of three elementary important loads. This conventional method completely neglects the influence of the loading history, and may have some error because of the behavior of the longitudinal resistance connecting the rail and the bridge-deck is under the highly nonlinear. In this study, the algorithm for the modified method considering the sequential nonlinear loading combination and the effect of the loading history is proposed. The results from the application of the modified method are compared with the results obtained from the conventional method.