A simplified method to estimate the fundamental frequency of skew continuous multicell box-girder bridges

Abstract

The Fundamental Frequency is the main factor used to calculate the vibration of a vehicle when passing across a bridge. With knowledge of the fundamental frequency, bridges can be evaluated and designed in such a manner so as to avoid the critical range of 1.5 Hz to 4.5 Hz, which is occupied by most vehicles. Therefore it is crucial to develop a reliable method to estimate the fundamental frequency of bridges. To overcome the above issue, numerical analysis combined with a theoretical method is applied to estimate the fundamental frequency of multicell box-girder bridges. The effect of span-length, number of boxes and skew angle on the estimation of this factor is discussed. Finally, reliable expressions are proposed to predict the first fundamental frequency of this type of bridge, and the accuracy of the expressions are verified. The results indicate that the fundamental frequency decreases when span length increases, due to development of crack as well awe decrease stiffness of girders.