Transition Zones of Steel Bridges as Hotspots for Track Buckling
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 35, Issue 3
Abstract
Open deck steel bridges are characterized by the direct connection of transoms to the bridge girders. The expansion of steel girders due to thermal loads is transmitted by the fastening system to the track in the transition zones as compressive loads. Adding compressive thermal loads in continuously welded rails (CWRs) and train braking can significantly increase track buckling potential in the transition zones of open deck bridges. This paper treats the static and dynamic track buckling in the transition zones of open deck steel bridges using a multibody train-track dynamic model and a three-dimensional finite-element track model. Considering resilient fasteners and zero toe load (ZTL) fasteners, six fastening profiles are defined. For the train-track interaction, normal and severe braking of wheels is considered. Based on the results, it is concluded that dynamic buckling temperature depends chiefly on steel girder temperature and location of misalignment. Using a combination of resilient fasteners and ZTLs can be an effective way to enhance the performance of CWR tracks on open deck steel bridges.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.
Acknowledgments
This research was supported under Australian Research Council’s Industrial Transformation Training Centres Scheme (ARC Training Centre for Advanced Technologies in Rail Track Infrastructure) (IC170100006). The work reported in this paper was formulated initially by Manicka Dhanasekar, former Professor of Infrastructure Engineering at the first author’s institution in collaboration with Queensland Rail.
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 35 • Issue 3 • June 2021
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 2, 2020
Accepted: Jan 4, 2021
Published online: Apr 15, 2021
Published in print: Jun 1, 2021
Discussion open until: Sep 15, 2021
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