On the Coupled Free Vibrations of a Suspension Bridge-(I)

Abstract

In Part I, a set of fundamental equations of motions of a suspension bridge is derived and classified into two classes of modes, the first of which can be termed as the deflectional modes, while the second can be termed as the torsional modes. Analytical solutions for the deflectional modes of free vibrations are discussed and determined by employing the Ritz method with and without a fix point at midspan of stiffening floor. Detailed informations for the torsional modes and some basic applications of the theory developed here will be described in Part II.