A coupled model for train-track-bridge stochastic analysis with consideration of spatial variation and temporal evolution

Due to random characteristics of system parameters and excitations, the dynamic assessment and prediction for the train-track-bridge interaction systems become rather complex issues needing to be addressed, especially considering the longitudinal inhomogeneity and uncertainty of dynamic properties in physics and correspondingly their temporal evolutions. In this paper, a temporal-spatial coupled model is developed to fully deal with the deterministically/non-deterministically computational and analytical matters in the train-track-bridge interactions with a novelty, where a train-track-bridge interaction model is newly developed by effectively coupling the three-dimensional nonlinear wheel-rail contact model and the finite element theory, moreover, the Monte-Carlo method (MCM) and Karhunen–Loève expansion (KLE) are effectively united to model the random field of track-bridge systems, and a spectral evolution method accompanied by a track irregularity probabilistic model are introduced to select the most representative track irregularity sets and to characterize their random evolutions in temporal dimension. In terms of random vibration analysis, the high-efficiency and effectiveness of this developed model is validated by comparing to a robust method, i.e., MCM. Apart from validations, multi-applications of the temporal-spatial coupled model from aspects of deterministic computation, random vibration, resonant analysis and long-term dynamic prediction, etc., have been fully presented to illustrate the universality of the proposed model.