Birendra Kumar Singh,
- , Professor, Civil Engineering Department, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, (Jharkhand), India, ,
Abstract
The rapid growth of high-speed transportation systems has necessitated a detailed assessment of the structural effects induced by moving heavy vehicles. This study investigates the lateral thrust generated by high-speed vehicular movement and its implications for the design and safety evaluation of transportation infrastructure. A representative vehicle with dimensions of 18 m length, 5 m height, and 4 m width was considered for the analysis. The impact load generated by the vehicle was evaluated, resulting in a total applied load of 1500 tonnes. Based on dynamic loading considerations, the lateral load was determined using a coefficient of 0.217, yielding a total lateral force of 326 tonnes. Since the force acts symmetrically on both sides of the structure, the lateral load on one side was calculated as 163 tonnes. In addition to the direct impact-induced lateral force, aerodynamic effects caused by vehicle movement were analyzed. The vehicle operating speed was taken as 120 km/h (33.33 m/s). The displacement of air around the moving vehicle generates additional lateral thrust, which was estimated using the projected surface area exposed to airflow. Considering the side and end surfaces of the vehicle, the total effective area was found to be 220 m². Using the adopted aerodynamic loading coefficient, the resulting air thrust was calculated as 15 tonnes, corresponding to 7.5 tonnes on each side. The combined lateral thrust due to both impact loading and aerodynamic effects was therefore determined as 171 tonnes on one side. The study concludes that an additional lateral load of 171 tonnes should be considered over an 18 m vehicle length for the safe and reliable design of structures subjected to high-speed vehicular movement.
Keywords: High-speed vehicle movement, lateral thrust, impact load, aerodynamic load, dynamic loading, structural analysis, vehicle-induced forces, air displacement effects, transportation infrastructure, structural safety, lateral load assessment, high-speed transportation systems
[This article belongs to Trends in Transport Engineering and Applications ]
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Trends in Transport Engineering and Applications
| Volume | 13 | |
| Issue | 02 | |
| Received | 17/06/2026 | |
| Accepted | 03/07/2026 | |
| Published | 09/07/2026 | |
| Publication Time | 22 Days |