A research project initiated in 1988 focuses on development of loading spectra for railway bridges under current operating conditions. The objectives for the initial three year phase are as follows: 1) develop loading spectra for railway bridges through field measurements of wheel loads on bridges; and 2) conduct detailed measurements of strains and deformations in primary and secondary bridge members under static and impact loads in order to determine the actual distribution of loads in bridges of different types and spans. The first bridge to be studied is a steel plate girder bridge with an open deck. Vertical wheel loads are measured at mid-span of the bridge and on each approach. Lateral wheel loads and flange strains are also measured at mid-span. Loading spectra and bridge response histograms are determined from measured data. Measured and calculated bridge responses are also compared. For the covering abstract of the Conference see IRRD Abstract No. 807839.
This volume is an outcome of the 11th IFIP WG7.5 working conference on Reliability and Optimization of Structural Systems in Canada. The conference focuses on structural reliability methods and applications and engineering risk analysis and decision-making.
These proceedings are from The Fourth International Conference on Bridge Management that consolidated the best and, more importantly, up-to-date research conducted in the field of bridge management. Since the first conference in 1990 the scientific art of bridge management has advanced at an astonishing rate. There has been a change from a curative to a preventative approach to bridge management, promising an increased longevity for the next generation of bridges and reduced whole-life costs, and practical and economical solutions have been found for some recurring problems.
Many of today's steel bridges are being constructed with longer spans and higher skew. The bridges are often erected in stages to limit traffic interruptions or to minimize environmental impacts. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has experienced numerous problems matching the final deck elevations between adjacent construction stages due to inaccuracies in predicting the dead load deflections of steel plate girder bridges. In response to these problems, the NCDOT has funded this research project (Project No. 2004-14 - Developing a Simplified Method for Predicting Deflection in Steel Plate Girders Under Non-composite Dead Load for Stage-constructed Bridges). The primary objective of this research was to develop a simplified procedure to predict the dead load deflection of skewed and non-skewed steel plate girder bridges. In developing the simplified procedure, ten steel plate girder bridges were monitored during placement of the concrete deck to observe the deflection of the girders. Detailed three-dimensional finite element models of the bridge structures were generated in the commercially available finite element analysis program ANSYS. The finite element modeling results were validated through correlation with the field measured deflection results. With confidence in the ability of the developed finite element models to capture bridge deflection behavior, a preprocessor program was written to automate the finite element model generation. Subsequently, a parametric study was conducted to investigate the effect of skew angle, girder spacing, span length, cross frame stiffness, number of girders within the span, and exterior to interior girder load ratio on the girder deflection behavior. The results from the parametric were used to develop an empirical simplified procedure, which modifies traditional SGL predictions to account for skew angle, girder spacing, span length, and exterior to interior girder load ratio. Predictions of the deflections from the simplified procedure and from SGL analyses were compared to the deflections predicted from finite element models (ANSYS) and the field measured deflections to validate the procedure. It was concluded that the simplified procedure may be utilized to more accurately predict dead load deflection of simple span, steel plate girder bridges. Additionally, an alternative prediction method has been proposed to predict deflections in continuous span, steel plate girder bridges with equal exterior girder loads, and supplementary comparisons were made to validate this method.
Perhaps the first book on this topic in more than 50 years, Design of Modern Steel Railway Bridges focuses not only on new steel superstructures but also outlines principles and methods that are useful for the maintenance and rehabilitation of existing steel railway bridges. It complements the recommended practices of the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-way Association (AREMA), in particular Chapter 15-Steel Structures in AREMA’s Manual for Railway Engineering (MRE). The book has been carefully designed to remain valid through many editions of the MRE. After covering the basics, the author examines the methods for analysis and design of modern steel railway bridges. He details the history of steel railway bridges in the development of transportation systems, discusses modern materials, and presents an extensive treatment of railway bridge loads and moving load analysis. He then outlines the design of steel structural members and connections in accordance with AREMA recommended practice, demonstrating the concepts with worked examples. Topics include: A history of iron and steel railway bridges Engineering properties of structural steel typically used in modern steel railway bridge design and fabrication Planning and preliminary design Loads and forces on railway superstructures Criteria for the maximum effects from moving loads and their use in developing design live loads Design of axial and flexural members Combinations of forces on steel railway superstructures Copiously illustrated with more than 300 figures and charts, the book presents a clear picture of the importance of railway bridges in the national transportation system. A practical reference and learning tool, it provides a fundamental understanding of AREMA recommended practice that enables more effective design.
Proceedings of a session on engineering mechanics at the ASCE Convention, held in Boston, Massachusetts, October 27, 1986. Sponsored by the Engineering Mechanics Division of ASCE. This collection contains seven papers on evaluating the performance of bridges. Four papers assess the global bridge behavior for prestressed steel plate girder and truss bridges, steel box girder bridges, and highway bridges. Three focus on concrete bridge decks that had been subjected to fatigue and cyclic loadings or to progressive deterioration.
Weigh-in-motion (WIM) is a process of measuring the dynamic tire forces of a moving vehicle and estimating the corresponding tire loads of the static vehicle. This collection of lectures from the International Conference on Weigh-in-Motion details applications such as: collection of statistical traffic data, support of commercial vehicle enforcement, roadway and bridge cost allocation, and traffic management.
