Bridge Approaches and Track Stiffness

Details

• Creators:
  Davis, David ; Plotkin, Donald
• Corporate Creators:
  Transportation Technology Center, Inc.
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States. Federal Railroad Administration. Office of Research and Development
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  Bridge Abutments Bridge Approaches Bridges And Other Structures Bridge Substructures Deflection Load Tests Railroad Bridges Railroad Facilities Railroads Stiffness
• Publication/ Report Number:
  DOT/FRA/ORD-08/01
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  Colorado ; United States
• TRIS Online Accession Number:
  01095651
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Federal Railroad Administration
• Abstract:
  Over time, it is not uncommon for a dip in the track to develop off the end of a bridge—on the bridge approach. This dip, or bump at the end of the bridge, is often a rough-riding spot and one that requires resurfacing at more frequent intervals than does the rest of the track. A commonly held belief is that this dip in the track is caused by dynamic forces resulting from wheel loads crossing an abrupt change in stiffness between the track on the bridge and the track off the bridge. A literature search found no documented field measurements to support this belief, only two modeling studies which predicted that the effect would be negligible. Five different methods were then employed to evaluate the potential for a track stiffness change to produce dynamic loads of practical significance. These methods ranged from the most technically sophisticated to the most basic. The results from all five pointed to the same conclusion—that changes in track stiffness at a bridge end have no practical effect on either track settlement or ride quality at a bridge approach.
• Format:
  PDF
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection Federal Railroad Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:c1d66b8200929b1c14dd0a0ad603efdfc240eca344a97943fe25037a2537ab7b
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/40230/dot_40230_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 605.41 KB ]