Evolutionary random response problem of a coupled vehicle-bridge system

 In the literature on vibration analysis of a coupled vehicle-bridge system, the influence of random undulation of bridge surface has not been fully considered yet. In fact, the response of a vehicle-bridge system depends on both the moving vehicle weight and the bridge undulation. In vibration analysis, the vehicle-bridge system should be taken as a time-variant model, and the response will consist of two parts, namely a deterministic transient one and an evolutionary random one. Based on a unified approach to evolutionary random response problems, suggested by the present authors recently, the coupled response problem of a vehicle-bridge system is studied in detail. Both the deterministic response and the random response of the coupled system are obtained effectively by the Runge-Kutta method. Some qualitative inferences on the acceleration response of the vehicle, the relative response of the suspension, and the flexuous response of the bridge are drawn. Both the method and the results presented here may be helpful in dealing with more complicated practical vibration problems.