Unified calculation model for the longitudinal fundamental frequency of continuous rigid frame bridge

The frequencies formulas of the bridge are of great importance in the design process since these formulas provide insight dynamic characteristics of the structure, which guides the designers to parametric analyses and the layout of the bridge in conceptual or preliminary design. Continuous rigid frame bridge is popular in the mountainous area. Mostly, this type of bridge was simplified either as a girder or cantilever when calculating the frequency, however, studies showed that the different configuration of the bridge made the problem more complex, and there is no unified fundamental calculation pattern for this kind of bridge. In this study, an empirical frequency equation is proposed as a function of pier's height, stiffness of pier and the weight of the structure. A unified fundamental frequency formula is presented based on the energy principle, then the typical continuous rigid frame bridge is investigated by finite element method (FEM) to study the dynamic characteristics of the structure, and then several key parameters are investigated on the effect of structural frequency. These parameters include the number, position and stiffness of the tie beam. Nonlinear regression analyses are conducted with a comprehensive statistical study from plenty of engineering structures. Finally, the proposed frequency equation is validated by field test results. The results show that the fundamental frequency of the continuous rigid frame bridge increases more than 15% when the tie beams are set, and it increases with the stiffness ratio of tie beam to pier. The results also show that the presented unified fundamental frequency has an error of 4.6% compared with the measured results. The investigation can predicate the approximate longitudinal fundamental frequency of continuous ridged frame bridge, which can provide reference for the seismic response and dynamic impact factor design of the pier.