@Article{sdhm.2026.086019,
AUTHOR = {Zunwen Liu, Junsen Zou, Jason Maxwell Ingham, Xingchong Chen, Junrui Zhang, Jingwei Jia},
TITLE = {Damage Evolution Mechanisms of Ballastless Track on Simply Supported–Continuous Girder Bridges in Seismic Regions with Large Temperature Variations},
JOURNAL = {Structural Durability \& Health Monitoring},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/sdhm/online/detail/28023},
ISSN = {1930-2991},
ABSTRACT = {Simply supported–continuous girder bridges are widely used in high-speed railways in northwestern China, where large temperature variations and frequent seismic activity coexist. Existing studies have primarily examined temperature and seismic effects separately, whereas research on their combined effects has mainly focused on highway bridges. This study develops a track–bridge integrated finite element model and performs dynamic time-history analysis to investigate the structural responses under combined temperature and seismic loading. The results show that the initial stress state induced by temperature loading significantly alters the stress distribution during seismic events, with the expansion-joint region identified as the critical zone for rail stress exceedance risk. Under combined loading, most structural stresses remain within the allowable limits, while longitudinal displacement is maximized at the expansion-joint region due to deformation accumulation. Vertical displacement exhibits temperature-dependent behavior, with seismic loading reducing the downward displacement at high temperatures but increasing the upward displacement at low temperatures, and even reversing the displacement direction in the midspan region of the continuous span. Interlayer displacement is concentrated at the rail–track slab interface near the expansion joints, whereas the continuous-span region shows smaller responses because of the absence of expansion joints. The self-compacting concrete layer–base slab interface remains stable, owing to the restraining effect of the isolation layer and the lug–groove interlocking structure. These findings provide insight into the coupled effects of temperature and seismic loading and offer guidance for the design and safety assessment of high-speed railway bridge systems.},
DOI = {10.32604/sdhm.2026.086019}
}