A Parametric Study of an old Concrete Trough Bridge using non-linear Finite Element analysis

At least 20% of existing railway bridges in Sweden are reinforced concrete (RC) trough bridge that consist in a slab carried by two longitudinal main beams. As these bridges are getting old, there is an urging need to assess their remaining capacity with the aim of prolonging their service lives. The limited literature on the topic has pointed out that there is a significant difference between the capacity predicted by available codes and that obtained experimentally. In this paper, a review of the Bridge and Tunnel Management database (BaTMan) of railway infrastructure in Sweden, is carried out to gain an overview of the current state of the Swedish railway bridge, with focus on trough bridges. Then, a non-linear finite element model is calibrated using the experimental results of the previous testing of a decommissioned trough bridge. The model is used in a parametric study where the effect of key mechanical parameters on the capacity of trough bridges is studied.