Free vibration analysis of multi-span orthotropic bridge deck with rubber bearings

In this paper, a semi-analytical approach is proposed for free vibration analysis of a multi-span, orthotropic bridge deck with rubber bearings. This allows more realistic modeling of vibration transmission from a bridge’s deck to its supports. The approach is based on modal superposition incorporating intermodal coupling. The bridge deck was modeled as a continuous, multi-span, orthotropic rectangular plate with equivalent rigidities. The rubber bearings were inserted between the girders and rigid supports to absorb traffic induced vibrations. The rubber bearing was modeled by linear elastic, vertical supports as very flexible in rotation and highly rigid in the vertical direction. The method’s efficacy was validated against two numerical examples. The absolute error was less than 10%.