Experimental and Numerical Investigation on Dynamic Amplification Factors of an Urban Maglev Guideway

The Korean urban maglev project was initiated with the intention of building a commercial line by 2012. An optimized guideway has been proposed and relevant tests are currently being conducted. However, the Dynamic Amplification Factor (DAF) for the maglev guideway has yet to be determined. As the maglev load is distributed rather than concentrated, further examination of dynamic behavior is required. The objective of this study was to identify the DAF of the proposed urban maglev guideway via moving-load analyses. For this purpose, a full-scale guideway girder test and a field test were conducted to identify the modal properties. A finite element model was then developed and verified against test results. Finally, moving load analyses were performed up to the maximum speed. Guideway deflection, longitudinal stresses, and support reactions were measured for various vehicle speeds-DAFs were thus computed. It was found that DAFs for maglev guideways are less than 2.5% at the maximum design speed. This implies that dynamic amplification need not be a severe consideration for the proposed maglev system.