SUSTAINABLE BRIDGES: Assessment for future traffic demands and longer lives

• Unité de recherche: PCRD EU
• Numéro de projet: 03.0535-2
• Titre du projet anglais: SUSTAINABLE BRIDGES: Assessment for future traffic demands and longer lives

Mots-clé (Anglais)

Railway infrastructure; bridges; higher traffic loads; assessment

Autre Numéro de projet (Anglais)

EU project number: 001653

Programme de recherche (Anglais)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.6.2 Urspr. Progr. Sustainable surface transport

Description succincte (Anglais)

See abstract

Résumé des résultats (Abstract) (Anglais)

The railway bridges in Europe are a vital part of the transport system. They represent a value on the order of 20 billion Euros. The objective is to increase the capacity of existing bridges by increasing allowable loads, speeds and capacities, increasing residual service lives, and enhancing management, strengthening, and repair systems.
Much research has already been carried out on various topics related to this area, but there is a need for integration, innovative development and testing in order to establish safe procedures for management and upgrading of railway bridges. The following work will be carried out: (1) Existing bridge types in Europe will be investigated in order to find critical areas for different types, (2) Present and future loads and load distributions will be investigated. Demands for rail traffic interoperability between countries will be studied regarding bridges. (3) Condition Assessment methods will be developed based on new research results, (4) Resistance of Structures will be studied and new methods will be developed. (5) Monitoring and Inspection methods will be developed based on new IT technology, (6) Strengthening methods will be developed using e. g. carbon fibres, (7) Tests and demonstrations of the new methods will be carried out on existing bridges, and (8) Training activities will be carried out to disseminate the results to owners of bridges, consultants and contractors.
The project will save costs by allowing increased loads and extending residual service lives. Old, often beautiful bridges can be maintained and upgraded instead of being teared down and replaced by new structures. A 5 % increase in load capacity and/or life length for European railway bridges would give a saving of the order of 1 billion Euros. The results may be used also for road bridges and thus double the value of the project.

Références bases de données (Anglais)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0535-2