Reduction of Bridge Deck End Rotation from Sliding Slab Track on Railway Bridge

Sliding slab track has been developed to resolve the track-bridge interaction problem; track slab is continuous over entire span of bridges. As trains pass over bridges, bending of bridge girders causes an up-lift at bridge end, which can create negative moments and tension in track slab, potentially leading to cracks and damage. The use of hard foamboard between end of bridge deck and track slab has been proposed as a means of end-rotation absorption. Using data from a field experiment, the present paper derives the required performance of the hard foam-board and confirms its effectiveness at absorbing end-rotation. A numerical analysis was conducted to verify that vertical displacements due to end rotation were effectively absorbed during the passage of a high-speed train on a long-span continuous bridge. Vertical acceleration of the track slab at the end of the bridge has been demonstrated to be in compliance with traffic safety acceleration.