Monitoring and Evaluation of a Steel Railway Bridge Under Working Loads

Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation must be done on a regular basis in order to ensure the safe operation and availability of the railway. Railroad bridges are frequently vulnerable to degradation due to various hazards including aging, fatigue, and corrosion. As a result, it is crucial to continuously monitor and assess the steel railway bridge structure while it is operating under working loads by establishing and applying a structural health monitoring system specifically for railway bridges. The railway bridge under investigation was constructed of steel structure with span lengths of 40.0 m, a vertical height of 6.60 m, close bracing on top, and a width of 4.40 m with side bracings. It is a single-lane railroad bridge set up in a Warren-style arrangement with wooden sleepers. The objective of the study is to assess the steel railway bridge. The bridge was instrumented using LVDTs, strain gauges, accelerometers, and proximity sensors to understand the phenomena impacted by working loads. A 3D finite element method was also applied to examine the steel railway bridge. The impact of working loads on the steel structure railway bridge was discussed in this study. Researchers and engineers who are currently studying on railway bridges might find this paper beneficial.