Outline of Design Standard for Concrete Railway Structures

Abstract

This paper provides an outline of revised design standards for concrete railway structures for the Japan Railway, after revisions in 1999, following the Hyogoken-Nambu earthquake. The national technical standard was changed from specification-based to performance-based. The seismic standard is also a performance verification design system. Research on high-strength concrete and reinforcement reached the stage where it could be applied to the design standard, and other new concrete technologies need to be included. The paper describes the basis of the design, the required performance levels, elements that address action, material, calculation of response value, safety, serviceability, restorability, durability and verification prerequisites. The New Standard was published in its entirety in April 2004. Currently, design calculation examples, manual updates and the development of a design program are proceeding.