According to current guidelines in Austria, railway structures, in particular so bridges and tunnels, need to be designed for a lifetime of (at least) 120 years and 150 years, respectively. This rather large time span renders railway systems as both ecologically and economically competitive players in the transportation world. However, predicting structural behavior for such an extended future time span poses severe, and still largely open, scientific and technological challenges. ln the case of steel bridges, the latter are associated with material fatigue, i.e., crack development and growth under millions of load alternations, while in the case of concrete tunnels subjected to sustained ground action, the open challenge is the quantification of decaying, but generally uncessable creep deformations. The latter stem from the action of water at the atomistic scale, and their impact gains increasing attention in the scientific community.
D3.1.1 OnePager - Report on Load Modelling
This report outlines the work on load modelling within Area 3.1 of Rail4Future dealing with reliable bridges. Lifetime assessment using route specific fatigue load models for bridge structures can gain a significant advantage compared to the use of general load models e.g., taken from codified design. A clear methodology to derive the route specific load models from Weigh-In-Motion (WIM) data allows the infrastructure owner, together with calibrated models of the bridge structure and appropriate models for fatigue, to get a much more precise estimation of the remaining service life of a structure compared to current assessment procedures.
D3.1.1 Report Load Modelling Eschenau
To establish the basis for residual lifespan calculations, historical traffic data for the ‘Eschenauer Salzach Bridge,’ located on the Salzburg-Wörgl route at km 78.510, is to be determined. The assessment of previous usage relies on historical timetables, specialized literature, etc. Fatigue-relevant train types for various periods are extracted from available traffic data, distinguishing between passenger and freight trains.
D3.1.1 Report Load Modelling Eschenau.pdf - German only
D3.1.1 Report Load Modelling Lambda Faktor
The following report addresses fatigue damage in steel railway bridges and constitutes a fundamental study for assessing individual components, individual trains, and traffic mixtures.
Existing steel railway bridges in Austria predominantly feature beam structures; however, they exhibit various forms of main girders (e.g., single-span or multi-span girders; solid-web or truss girders) and roadway configurations (e.g., open roadway consisting of longitudinal and transverse girders; closed roadway as an orthotropic plate or concrete slab in composite structures).
D3.1.1. Report Load Modelling Lambda Faktor.pdf - German only
3.1.2 OnePager - Report on 3E Structural Health Monitoring
This report outlines the current results on the work done to develop a 3E Structural Health Monitoring (3E – Effective, Economic and Easy-to-use) with the aim to detect fatigue cracks and to monitor crack growth as well as the global structural response.
Experiences on advanced sensor systems from different project partners with know-how in monitoring and sensor technology was collected. Based on this information an application matrix was compiled with a classification of the different sensor technologies to their applicability for different monitoring objectives.
D3.1.2 OnePager - Report on 3E Structural Health Monitoring.pdf
D3.1.2 3E Anwendungsmatrix Sensorsysteme Final.pdf - German only
D3.1.2 Report 3E Pinkabachbrücke
D3.1.2 Report 3E Monitoring Eschenau
These papers contain the results of tests on the Pinkabach bridge, a railway bridge that is no longer in operation and was brought to the ÖBB bridge construction facility in St. Pölten, and the results of long-term monitoring of the Eschenau bridge on the Salzburg - Wörgl line.
D3.1.2 Report 3E Pinkabachbrücke.pdf - German only
D3.1.2 Report 3E Monitoring Eschenau.pdf - German only
D3.1.3 OnePager - Report on Fatigue Modelling
Fatigue modelling includes all individual steps to guarantee accurate design stress spectra at the relevant constructional details of the individual bridge members, for each train passage. Together with accurate load models and appropriate fatigue resistance models it forms the basis for an improved fatigue assessment, to estimate the remaining fatigue life of steel railway bridges.
D3.1.3 Report - Fatigue Lebensdauerberechnung (Lifespan calculation)
This report deals with methods for improved calculation of the lifespan of steel railway bridges. To enhance the understanding of this overall report, fundamental basics related to fatigue behavior and the associated Remaining Life Duration (RLD) are also presented. The current normative implementation is deliberately emphasized, allowing for future practical construction in accordance with applicable standards and guidelines.
D3.1.3 Report - Fatigue - Lebensdauerberechnung.pdf - German only
D3.1.3 Report - Fatigue Walzenbauern Bridge - Reinforcement
The Walzenbauern Bridge near Krieglach, Styria, is a steel railway bridge with an open roadway in the form of a three-span beam bridge. The bridge has been in operation since around 1960 and is a part of the Vienna - Spielfeld railway route. Fatigue cracks have been identified on the main girders of this steel bridge. This report outlines the development of three reinforcement variants along with operational measurements to assess their effectiveness and applicability to other bridges.
D3.1.3 Report - Fatigue - Walzenbauernbrücke - Verstaerkung.pdf - German only
D3.2.1 OnePager - Report on material tests and structural monitoring data
D3.2.1 Report on material tests and structural monitoring data
Tunnel engineering is a complex part of modern infrastructure operation. Ensuring the safety and serviceability of tunnels is of paramount importance. This deliverable refers to (i) results from innovative material testing of cementitious binders used in tunneling, and (ii) state-of-the-art structural monitoring of both segmental linings used in mechanized tunneling and shotcrete shells used in the New Austrian Tunneling Method.
A novel method for the characterization of early-age reaction kinetics of cementitious binders, based on the innovative equipment extension of a quasi-isothermal differential calorimeter is described.
D3.2.1 OnePager - Report on material tests and structural monitoring data.pdf
D3.2.1 Report on material tests and structural monitoring data.pdf