Efficiency of Closed Stiffener Orthotropic Deck Panels for Railway Bridges

Closed stiffener orthotropic decks can be beneficial for ballasted or non-ballasted railroad bridges and have been achieved successfully on a number of tied arch bridges for the high-speed railroad network in Belgium. In these bridges, the orthotropic plate contributes to both the deck plate action and the main load carrying system as the horizontal lower chord or arch tie. Although the basic structural action is comparable to that of road bridges, specific differences exist. This paper addresses these differences, which originate from a substantial discrepancy of the load transfer. Railroad loads considerably exceed applicable loads for road bridges, resulting in significantly larger rib and floor beam dimensions. This has a significant impact on the transverse load spreading in the plate and on the moment redistribution due to floor beam flexibility. Load spreading describes the phenomenon in which a concentrated load is spread throughout a continuous medium. For typical railroad bridge deck dimensions, the load spreading is nearly negligible, which is demonstrated in the paper. Conversely, the axle loads are spread over a large area, reducing the contact pressure at the deck plate. Consequently, the potential for fatigue at the stiffener to deck plate joint is also reduced. In addition, the ballast layer bridges the plate areas between stiffener webs reducing deck plate stresses even more. This has serious consequences on acceptable deck plate dimensions, which differ substantially from the recommended values for road bridges. Therefore, a different set of basic input data is considered for orthotropic decks of railroad bridges, leading to a more efficient use of steel. All conclusions and recommendations presented herein are based on numerical finite element simulations and strain gauge measurements on a number of bridges.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/15732487
• Authors:
  • De Corte, Wouter
  • Van Bogaert, Philippe
  • De Backer, Hans
• Publication Date: 2005-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; Photos; References;
• Pagination: pp 203-209
• Serial:
  • Bridge Structures - Assessment, Design & Construction
  • Volume: 1
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: IOS Press
  • ISSN: 1573-2487
  • EISSN: 1744-8999
  • Serial URL: https://content.iospress.com/journals/bridge-structures

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Arch bridges; Ballastless track; Bridge decks; Finite element method; High speed rail; Orthotropic plates; Railroad bridges; Stiffener plates; Strain gages; Track ballast; Transverse strength
• Geographic Terms: Belgium
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01035948
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 27 2006 8:09AM