Vehicles

For bridge analysis a vehicle is defined as a pattern of loading based on axle and wheel positions. User defined arrangements of wheel loads forming a vehicle are defined here for use in bridge loading or to generate static vehicle load. Wheels are always positioned in pairs symmetrically about the central axis, but can have different intensities of load to allow for lurching, wind loading etc.

Definition

Name

The name is used to identify the vehicles where they are referred to. The name is displayed on the tab in the Vehicle table. This can be adjusted by double clicking on the tab or right-clicking on the tab and selecting the modify option.

Axle Location

The position relative to vehicle origin, i.e. x coordinate.

Wheel Offset and Load

The wheel position is defined by the distance each wheel is offset from the centreline (i.e. ±y coordinate). A wheel load is then specified for the left and right respectively looking in the direction of increasing x.

Width

This specifies the width of the vehicle used when checking vehicle paths.