STODOLA-VIANELLO ITERATION METHOD FOR FREE TORSIONAL VIBRATION ANALYSIS OF MONOSYMMETRIC BOX-BEAM BRIDGES

Abstract

Box-beam bridges are used in large spans and wider decks due to their high strength and greater torsional and flexural stiffness. They are usually prone to vibration due to moving vehicular traffic. Their eigenfrequency analysis is a crucial aspect of their design in order to ensure that the natural frequency is not close to the excitation frequency to avert resonance failures. The free torsional vibration equation is a fourth order partial differential equation (PDE) with variable parameters. For prismatic cross-sections, homogeneous and isotropic materials the governing PDE have constant parameters. This paper explores the Stodola-Vianello iteration method (SVIM) for solving the PDE for isotropic, homogeneous prismatic box-beams. Harmonic response is assumed, decoupling the PDE to two equations, one in terms of time and the second an ordinary differential equation (ODE) in terms of space coordinates. The Stodola-Vianello method is used by the method of four successive integrations to express the ODE as an algebraic iteration problem with four constants of integration. The four boundary conditions are used to solve for the four constants of integration, thus making the problem determinate. Application of the boundary conditions results in the full determination of the iteration equations.  For simply supported boundaries studied in the work, a trigonometric buckling shape function that satisfies all the boundary conditions is employed in the SVIM formula to obtain the next bucking modal shape function. The requirement for convergence is then used to establish the characteristic buckling equation from which the eigenvalues are obtained. The solution to the characteristic buckling equation gave the exact mathematical expression for the natural torsional frequency at the nth vibration mode. The frequencies are determined for the first eight vibration modes and compared with previously obtained values. It was found that the natural frequencies are identical with previously found values of the exact natural frequencies. The natural frequency obtained is exact because it satisfies the PDE and the boundary conditions at all points in the domain.