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Measured properties of structural damping in railway bridges

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Abstract

Dissipative properties of a structural system are difficult to be characterized in real structure. Nevertheless, damping features may be dominant in several operating conditions of railway bridges influencing fatigue life or passenger comfort during train passage. Observations treating real data acquired in operational condition on steel and concrete railway bridges belonging to the Italian network permits to highlight dissipative sources and features. Consequently, linearized modal damping ratios are evaluated through a recursive process on the acceleration signals acquired before, during and after train passages and/or in environmental conditions. Stochastic Subspace Identification has been used to identify state-space dynamical models able to reproduce the vibrations. Through these models, characterized by an increasing number of state-space variables, it is possible to extract modal damping ratios. A mechanical interpretation of damping characteristics is pursued through the evaluation of the differences with respect to a classical Rayleigh proportional damping matrix of the viscous matrix belonging to the identified state-space models determined through the system spectral features. A non-proportional damping index is presented as a basis to determine the influence of different sources of non-proportionality in the damping matrix (as the ballast layer under the track) and to justify the high value of damping observed in specific experimental campaigns.

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Acknowledgements

The research leading to these results has received funding from the Italian Government under Cipe resolution n.135 (Dec. 21, 2012), project INnovating City Planning through Information and Communication Technologies. The results of the steel bridge are part of a project that has received funding from the Research Fund for Coal and Steel under grant agreement No 800687.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy

    Vincenzo Gattulli, Egidio Lofrano & Achille Paolone

  2. Department of Civil, Construction-Architectural and Environmental Engineering, University of L’Aquila, Via Giovanni Gronchi 18, 67100, L’Aquila, Italy

    Francesco Potenza

Authors
  1. Vincenzo Gattulli
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  2. Egidio Lofrano
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  3. Achille Paolone
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  4. Francesco Potenza
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Correspondence to Vincenzo Gattulli.

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Gattulli, V., Lofrano, E., Paolone, A. et al. Measured properties of structural damping in railway bridges. J Civil Struct Health Monit 9, 639–653 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13349-019-00358-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13349-019-00358-3

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