Railway Authorities Research Articles

Development of a Real Time Trains Monitoring System

With the evolution of technology that has occurred in digital systems, new services have appeared that can be applied in railways. Radio communications play an important role in the management of, exploration and maintenance of railway transports. Due to the importance of efficient service delivery and security in railways, there is need to integrate the use of the Global System for Mobile communication and global positioning systems. Transportation is a large and important part of the economy of any country. Railway transportation is one of the main transportation systems worldwide. To this effect, we should have a good and strong monitoring system that can locate a train at every instant. In this research, a proposal has been made for the implementation of a Global Positioning System (GPS) and global system for mobile communication (GSM) based train monitoring system on Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) railway network that will enable controllers locate their trains at every instant. The GPS-GSM/GPRS (General Packet Radio System) module will be incorporated in the system. A GSM/GPRS module will transmit the location information to a web server. Every track and locomotive will be assigned a unique number for identification. The information of the train location will be continuously updated when the train is moving and the users will be accessing the information via the web. The updated information will be stored in the web server. Clients will request for particular train status and a designed web application will show the status in a Google map. An alternative radio voice communication system will be incorporated in the locomotives in case of failure on the monitoring system. This implementation will greatly improve service delivery to the company.

REAL TIME RAILWAY INDICATOR

Railway is known as the lifeline of the Mumbai. Railway authorities have to work hard to keep this lifeline on track and on time. There are all kind trains schedules, timetable, schedule books of train timing etc. but trains do not run on time due to various reasons or causes. The moto of the project is to display the passenger information display message on the mobile phone application in real time in which data from railway server will be collected and displayed on the mobile application with the help of application programming interface (API) and database. It will also display the important messages and an announcement in the application.

HEAVY METAL DETECTION FROM SEWAGE IRRIGATED SOIL BESIDE RAILWAY TRACKS IN MUMBAI

There are more than 100 local train stations in Mumbai and suburban areas which are connected to each other through railway comprising 4 major lines. Each route contains slow and fast tracks running. On the adjacent side of these routes are small patches of land which are used for cultivation. The railway authorities give these lands for farming of some leafy and non-leafy vegetable crops. Majority of these lands are irrigated by the open sewage lines which run besides and parallel to the railway tracks and they bring many unwanted chemicals which are absorbed by plants to more or less extent. The water in these sewerlines comes from domestic, commercial and other sources. The present study deals with quantification of Pb, Zn, Cd, Hg, Ar and Cu from soil sample using laboratory methods. The results indicated a low to medium level of pollution of these in soils, except some of the areas where it is high. The Pb, Ar and Cu were common pollutants near many stations and occur in comparable amount whereas Cd and Zn occur near fewer stations and also in less to medium quantity and Hg contents were found to be the least. The results indicate that though the sewage water can be used for such sewage farming, the water quality should be monitored continuously for heavy metals and other form of pollutants to ensure safety for vegetable consumption.

Efficient verification of railway infrastructure designs against standard regulations

In designing safety-critical infrastructures s.a. railway systems, engineers often have to deal with complex and large-scale designs. Formal methods can play an important role in helping automate various tasks. For railway designs formal methods have mainly been used to verify the safety of so-called interlockings through model checking, which deals with state change and rather complex properties, usually incurring considerable computational burden (e.g., the state-space explosion problem). In contrast, we focus on static infrastructure models, and are interested in checking requirements coming from design guidelines and regulations, as usually given by railway authorities or safety certification bodies. Our goal is to automate the tedious manual work that railway engineers do when ensuring compliance with regulations, through using software that is fast enough to do verification on-the-fly, thus being able to be included in the railway design tools, much like a compiler in an IDE. In consequence, this paper describes the integration into the railway design process of formal methods for automatically extracting railway models from the CAD railway designs and for describing relevant technical regulations and expert knowledge as properties to be checked on the models. We employ a variant of Datalog and use the standardized “railway markup language” railML as basis and exchange format for the formalization. We developed a prototype tool and integrated it in industrial railway CAD software, developed under the name RailCOMPLETE®. This on-the-fly verification tool is a help for the engineer while doing the designs, and is not a replacement to other more heavy-weight software like for doing interlocking verification or capacity analysis. Our tool, through the export into railML, can be easily integrated with these other tools. We apply our tool chain in a Norwegian railway project, the upgrade of the Arna railway station.

Sources of Conflict in a Bi-national Organisation: A Case Study of Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)

Sources of Conflict in a Bi-national Organisation: A Case Study of Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA)

Visualisation of Train Punctuality – Illustrations and Cases

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to show relevant dimensions for presenting railway punctuality data. We discuss alternatives for visualisation and analysis, and show principles and practical examples. The study has benefitted from access to a complete database of Norwegian punctuality data including all data that have been automatically stored since the system was introduced in 2005. The applied data include information about train number, scheduled departure and arrival to each of the stations, as well as actual departure and arrival times. In addition, we have had access to infrastructure data from the Norwegian railway authority. Based on the available data, we developed a set of visualisations and analysis options. The tools were first implemented as a prototype, and then transferred to the Norwegian Railway Authority. This paper describes the principles applied in the tools, as gives a wide range of illustrations of actual implementation of the analyses. Three key dimensions in punctuality analysis are related to the line, time and selected trains. We use several tools that combine the time and line perspectives, including heat maps and correlations analysis between punctuality on different locations or points in time. Both experience-based knowledge and literature indicate a need for a practical method designed for use by practitioners in the railway sector. The main outcome of this research is the creation of an analysis tool case to meet these needs. The visualisations support informed and efficient identification of punctuality improvement measures.

A Feasibility Study on TETRA System Application for Train Control Systems

TETRA communication system is very versatile system which can transmit voice + data and packet data optimized. Direct mode operation permits to connect between mobiles when mobile stain is out of coverage of networks. It can be more secure communication channel for railway signaling systems. Railway signaling systems use many of wayside signal equipment, which require many maintenance efforts and budget. Many railway authorities want to reduce and replace the wayside equipment. Radio based signaling systems are one of candidate for replacing the conventional signaling systems. The radio based signaling systems can replace track circuit and wayside signal. The radio systems permit to connect between control centers and trains. The radio systems have to ensure high quality of the connectivity more or equal to the existed track circuits. We studied the application of TETRA systems for railway radio systems for bridging between train control centers and trains. We provide an operation scenario for radio based train control system to ensure the safety require to the existed trains control system and satisfied the existed operational availability. We showed the data transmission speed, maximum bit error rate, and data coding for the radio-based signal system using TETRA systems.

Condition monitoring of VFT‐Rail® slab‐track railway bridges

AbstractIn 2010 the VFT‐Rail® system was approved in accordance with CEN and railway standards by Germany's Federal Railway Authority (EBA) for operational testing. The approval was accompanied by a monitoring campaign on a VFT‐Rail® bridge crossing the River Simmerbach. As a result of the positive experience gained during the operation of this bridge, two additional railway bridges were designed by SSF Ingenieure AG and put into service in 2014 by Deutsche Bahn (DB). To survey those bridges, a monitoring programme has been developed and instigated. The monitoring programme includes investigating the stress distribution between the concrete and specially designed composite dowels, which have a better fatigue resistance compared with conventional headed studs. The forces at several rail support points are also a focus of interest. The German railway operator DB Netz AG requested the survey to prove the applicability of state‐of‐the‐art calculation methods, which were not part of compulsory codes.

Subversiones de un no lugar: el tren como espacio surrealista donde confluye la identidad y la relacionalidad en Cuba / Subversions of a non-place: the train as surreal space where it converges identity and relationality in Cuba.

El artículo aborda las diversas relaciones que se establecen en un no lugar, en este caso un tren en Cuba que traslada pasajeros desde la región centro occidental del país hasta La Habana. Este espacio es utilizado indistintamente por viajeros como medio de transporte y por otros para introducir en La Habana mercancías que son consideradas ilícitas1 tanto por su naturaleza como por la cuantía del peso establecido por las autoridades ferroviarias. No obstante, estos “comerciantes furtivos” han desarrollado las más variadas etnometodologías para sostener un mercado negro bidireccional. Asimismo, se ofrece una interpretación del tren como un espacio donde emergen componentes identitarios y una cultura de la resistencia.Subversions of a non-place: the train as surreal space where it converges identity and relationality in Cuba.The article discusses the various relationships established in a non-place, in this case a train in Cuba that takes passengers from the west central region of the country to Havana. This space is interchangeably used by travelers as transportation and others to introduce in Havana goods that are considered they are illegal both by nature and by the amount of weight set by the railway authorities. However, these “stealth marketers” have developed the most varied etnometodologías to support a bidirectional black market. Furthermore, an interpretation of the train as a space where identity components and a culture of resistance emerge offered

Implementation of IoT based Railway Calamity Avoidance System using Cloud Computing Technology

Objectives: Cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) are two different emerging technologies that become part of our life. Their adaption and usages are expected to be more and more effective. Railways are providing Eco-Friendly transport system for the mankind. Methods: In this paper we proposed and implemented IoT based cloud computing model using RaspberryPi2.0, LM393 sensor signal conditioning units, Piezo electric buzzer components. Our working model was to integrate with cloud environment by using Linux RTOS, python language and 'smartliving.io' IoT platform via internet using WIFI. In cloud we are providing data of the railway authorities. If any track was damaged in certain point our system detects and transfer that message to cloud, then the cloud automatically sent SMS for concern railway authorities' mobiles. Findings: The railway system use sensors to improve rail transport safety and integrate with local (nearby) stations using wired network. In this scenario, we have two major problems in case of misshaping. First, the concerned railway local authorities doesn't have powers to take their own decisions they were intimate to higher authorities on the situation .It is a long time process to take the decision most of the time it will be late to receive the information. Second, in wired network it is a problem with climatic conditions and vulnerabilities, it has a limitation for integrating number of sensors to current system. Improvements: This system was successful tested and results are evaluated. In our system continuously monitors the status of track and updates it time to time into cloud by IoT platform using RaspberryPi.

Dynamic Response of Railway Vehicles Running on Long-Span Cable-Stayed Bridge Under Uniform Seismic Excitations

In order to evaluate the dynamic response of the train running on long-span cable-stayed bridges under uniform seismic excitations, a time-domain framework of analysis for the train–bridge system is established. The rail irregularities are treated as internal excitation and seismic loads as external excitation considering the inertia forces induced by the 3D seismic waves. The vehicles are modeled as mass-spring-damper systems, and the cable-stayed railway bridge is simulated by finite elements. A comprehensive analysis of the train–bridge system subjected to earthquake is conducted, focused on the effect of seismic ground motions on the dynamic response of the running train. Four kinds of seismic waves, each with three components, are simulated, with their spectral characteristics taken into account. To consider the stochastic characteristic of actual seismic waves, the effect of the incident angle and occurrence time of earthquakes on the bridge and vehicles is analyzed. Moreover, the earthquakes with various occurrence probability levels are also studied and the safety of the train running under the seismic action is evaluated, which may be used as the operation reference for the railway authority. The results demonstrate that the seismic ground motions have significant effects on the dynamic response of railway vehicles running on the long-span cable-stayed bridge under various spectrum characteristics, incident angles, occurrence times, and occurrence probabilities.

On the epidemic of cholera and its prevention and control by the railway authorities in 1932

In 1932, the epidemic of cholera in China was serious, spreading to all provinces nationwide, causing heavy casualties. In order to prevent cholera epidemics spread along the railway line, the National Government Ministry of Railways and the local railway administration had taken all countermeasures, including the promulgation of epidemic prevention laws and regulations, quarantine, isolated check-up, disinfection, vaccination and even interruption of traffic. The measures of railway authorities had achieved a certain success. In August 1932, cholera epidemic began to subside gradually.

Smart Telematics Enabling Efficient Rail Transport – Development of the ViWaS Research and Development Project

Single wagonload (SWL) transport is a major component in European rail transport systems and in the logistics of different industrial sectors such as steel, chemical and automotive. However, changing framework conditions and increasingly demanding market requirements have led to dramatic losses of market share and even to complete shutdown of SWL business in some countries. As this business segment has been evaluated as an important component of the European co-modal transport system also in the future, significant improvements are needed. The ViWaS project develops and proposes solutions which contribute to a raised competitiveness of SWL in Europe.Unlike in road transport, load tracking and tracing is still not widely used in SWL. ViWaS seeks to accelerate the introduction of communication technology in rail freight. With on-board communication technology freight operators improve the dispatching of wagons and the rescheduling processes in case of disturbances. Based on reliable on-line telematics data, the dispatchers will be able to inform their customers about changes in the transport schedule earlier than today, increasing the reliability and satisfying the stakeholders.Cost-efficient and intelligent telematics-based information services enable real-time wagon tracking and automatically depict wagon mileage information. The telematics data service will generate the required information which is necessary for a reliable quality recording. With this additional information, the current life cycle of freight wagons of six years will be optimised. Since the accident of Viareggio, the railway authorities are requesting documentation of wagon mileage. A small electronic mile-counter with a-radio link to the telematics device RodoTAG® overtakes the RU's responsibility of wheel-set individual mileage counting. Based on long term experiences with NavMaster telematics, Eureka defined a list of requirements for the system design “small, lightweight and cost reducing”, resulting in a completely new system concept: The ViWaS telematics PCB is very small sized and equipped with a low power multi-GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS and SBAS) circuit. With the new GSM and GPS modules, a significant cost reduction could be achieved, interfaces for complementing sensors as e.g. shock detection, digital/analogue inputs/outputs, etc. are integrated. In addition, based on the analysis of user requirements the development of a reliable load sensing technology for freight cars has been launched. This request is a result of the fact that today most of the freight cars in railway operation do not use the full load capacity as there is no existing cost-effective possibility to measure the load especially during the filling-up process e.g. in the area of bulk freight. If the wagon would be overloaded and afterwards moved by a train, all wheel sets have to be exchanged for a costly inspection in a workshop. Thus, the freight car will not be filled to its maximum payload resulting in reduced capacity and higher costs. In order to optimise the dispatching processes wagons will transmit their load status, enabling the dispatchers to re-dispatch the wagon in short time after unloading leading to shorter standstill times and higher wagon efficiency.

Novel Efficient Technologies in Europe for Axle Bearing Condition Monitoring – the MAXBE Project

Axle bearing damage with possible catastrophic failures can cause severe disruptions or even dangerous derailments, potentially causing loss of human life and leading to significant costs for railway infrastructure managers and rolling stock operators. Consequently the axle bearing damage process has safety and economic implications on the exploitation of railways systems. Therefore it has been the object of intense attention by railway authorities as proved by the selection of this topic by the European Commission in calls for research proposals. The MAXBE Project (http://www.maxbeproject.eu/), a EU-funded project, appears in this context and its main goal is to develop and to demonstrate innovative and efficient technologies which can be used for the onboard and wayside condition monitoring of axle bearings. The MAXBE (interoperable monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance strategies for axle bearings) project focuses on detecting axle bearing failure modes at an early stage by combining new and existing monitoring techniques and on characterizing the axle bearing degradation process. The consortium for the MAXBE project comprises 18 partners from 8 member states, representing operators, railway administrations, axle bearing manufactures, key players in the railway community and experts in the field of monitoring, maintenance and rolling stock. The University of Porto is coordinating this research project that kicked-off in November 2012 and it is completed on October 2015.Both on-board and wayside systems are explored in the project since there is a need for defining the requirement for the onboard equipment and the range of working temperatures of the axle bearing for the wayside systems. The developed monitoring systems consider strain gauges, high frequency accelerometers, temperature sensors and acoustic emission. To get a robust technology to support the decision making of the responsible stakeholders synchronized measurements from onboard and wayside monitoring systems are integrated into a platform. Also extensive laboratory tests were performed to correlate the in situ measurements to the status of the axle bearing life. With the MAXBE project concept it will be possible: to contribute to detect at an early stage axle bearing failures; to create conditions for the operational and technical integration of axle bearing monitoring and maintenance in different European railway networks; to contribute to the standardization of the requirements for the axle bearing monitoring, diagnosis and maintenance. Demonstration of the developed condition monitoring systems was performed in Portugal in the Northern Railway Line with freight and passenger traffic with a maximum speed of 220 km/h, in Belgium in a tram line and in the UK. Still within the project, a tool for optimal maintenance scheduling and a smart diagnostic tool were developed.This paper presents a synthesis of the most relevant results attained in the project. The successful of the project and the developed solutions have positive impact on the reliability, availability, maintainability and safety of rolling stock and infrastructure with main focus on the axle bearing health.

On the Simulation of Powered Axles Stick-Slip

The use of high power railway vehicles requires enhanced control of wheel-rail adherence. When setting the train in motion, driving axles can exhibit torsional vibrations resulting in poor adherence and even axle damage. A significant number of railway authorities safety warnings and accident reports were issued related to the above phenomena. Adhesion saturation and negative slope are the characteristics which lead to self-sustained axial vibration. The aim of the present work is to prove the appropriateness of non-smooth models in the study of the axle torsional stick-slip vibrations which may occur when traction vehicles are set into motion. The model is simple, observes the main friction characteristics and provides the basis for efficient dynamics simulation. An experimental setup comprising a reduced scale wheel set is analyzed in order to validate the model proposed. The friction parameters are then identified using the proposed force-creepage relationship. Validation and verification is further carried out in frequency domain using both steady state and transient manoeuvres. Specific phenomena like discontinuities in the time-history friction force values occur. Validation and verification is carried out in frequency domain using both steady state and transient manoeuvres. From the comparison between the numerical and experimental results, it can be concluded that the setup is modeled accurately. Related problems may be solved using the present method, as it is pointed out in the article.

Slacks determinants in Brazilian railways: a distance friction minimization approach with fixed factors

This study investigates the drivers for output-increasing/input-saving potentials in the Brazilian railway industry, which has undergone significant transformations since its privatization in the mid-1990s. The main research objective is to determine whether or not different types of cargoes and geographic regions serviced present a significant impact on railway slacks by applying a distance friction minimization (DFM) approach with fixed factors. Based on a balanced panel model, secondary data from the period 2004 to 2012 were collected and analysed. Results support anecdotal evidence regarding a heterogeneous impact of types of cargo and geographic location on input-reducing and output-increasing potentials, besides network length and average speed. Policy implications for railway authorities are also addressed by focusing on the specifics of each railway operator.

“Buyer's motivation” for online buying: an empirical case of railway e-ticketing in Indian context

Purpose– India has a big pool of internet savvy population that is not only accessing the internet but also buying online. Online shopping could be defined as the concept of buying and selling of goods over the internet. From the perspective of the seller, it is the attempt on the seller's part to attract and persuade the prospect to conduct the purchase decision-making process, and ensure satisfaction and loyalty. From the perspective of the buyer, online purchase behavior is the degree to which consumers access, browse, shop and transact and repeat the behavior. With a revolution in the very basics of transaction from a physical store format to a non-store one, the retail industry has begun to understand the indispensability of the internet as a medium of transaction. However, the rate of diffusion and adoption of the new phenomenon among consumers is still relatively low. With the internet advancing new opportunities, it is important to understand the factors that could motivate Indian consumers to indulge in online buying. This paper is a theoretical attempt at conceptualizing “motivation” as a construct, in the context of online buying and testing it empirically. The objective of the study is to explore the critical motivational factors that influence the online buying decision of people, and to establish their causal impact, if any, through developing an integrated model.Design/methodology/approach– The study, descriptive, diagnostic, and causal in nature, has been conducted in the context of online buying of railway tickets in India. In the first phase, a pilot survey was conducted on a sample of 100 users of the online railway reservation. After having tested the survey instrument for validity and reliability, the second phase of the study was conducted on a sample of 327 users of online railway reservation facilities. A series of multiple regressions analyses was conducted to determine the causal impacts of critical motivational parameters on online reservation of railway ticket by users in the Indian context. The analysis of demographics based on gender and age groups were also made to capture the cross-comparisons of critical motivational attributes.Findings– The results were in expected direction and fulfilled the research aims of the current study. The factor analysis had grouped the items into nine constructs with 38 items. For analytical purposes, descriptive statistics were used through measures of central tendency and dispersion. The item total correlations to each construct were found significant. All the critical motivational constructs were found to have a significant impact on the intention of buyers of booking/purchasing railway tickets online in India. The analyses of demographics established that as far as gender is concerned, all the critical motivational attributes to online buying intention have no significant differences between men and women; however, for age groups it was observed that some of the attributes were found significant and others were not.Originality/value– Through identifying and empirically establishing critical motivational parameters in online reservation of railway tickets in Indian context across demographics, this study helps to understand what consumers expect from the online reservation facilities from the railways for their convenience and satisfaction. By examining the various dimensions explored and established in this study, the concerned authority can develop a better understanding of consumer needs and expectations. Academicians and researchers can use this study for assessing consumer motivation towards online reservation of railway tickets in Indian context, and identifying such attributes that would lead to favourable motivational disposition towards online reservation of railway tickets. The policy decision makers of railway authority may also use the findings of this study as a resource, while constructing, managing, and evaluating their marketing strategies in the Indian context.

The Great Manchurian Plague of 1910–1911: The Geopolitics of an Epidemic Disease by William C. Summers (review)

Reviewed by: The Great Manchurian Plague of 1910–1911: The Geopolitics of an Epidemic Disease by William C. Summers Carol A. Benedict William C. Summers. The Great Manchurian Plague of 1910–1911: The Geopolitics of an Epidemic Disease. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2012. xiii + 202 pp. Ill. $40.00 (978-0-300-18319-1). In this slim volume, William C. Summers aims to provide a comprehensive and detailed history of the plague outbreaks in northeastern China that caused possibly as many as sixty thousand deaths between 1910 and 1911. Historians of China have previously examined the great Manchurian plague from many angles: as a grave threat to the Qing dynasty’s already shaky sovereignty, as a watershed event in the establishment of Chinese public health institutions, as the beginning of China’s participation in scientific internationalism, and as the critical moment when the new concept of chuanranbing—notifiable infectious diseases recognized and controlled by the state—began to take hold in China. Given that the outbreak occurred in a region of international competition and diplomatic intrigue, Russian and Japanese historians have also focused attention on this exceedingly well-documented epidemic. While Summers seeks to expand upon this earlier scholarship, in the end his account closely parallels what is already known about this historic outbreak of pneumonic plague. As suggested by the book’s subtitle, Summers concentrates primarily on the interplay between geopolitics and the plague. In six brief chapters and an epilogue, he surveys the political, medical, and cultural aspects of the epidemic in order to understand its differential impact on three cities in the northeast (Harbin, Shenyang, and Dalian) and the diverse responses of the Russian, Japanese, and Chinese officials in charge of plague control in their respective areas of administrative authority. He argues that beyond its influence on public health, the crisis provided three major foreign powers (Japan, Russia, and the United States) with new opportunities to test and refine their evolving geopolitical strategies [End Page 701] in northeastern Asia during a time when the Qing dynasty was teetering on the verge of collapse. Likening the plague outbreak to a “bomb detonator” (p. 27), Summers contends that the plague and its aftermath played a pivotal role in the events leading up to the Japanese takeover of Manchuria in 1931 and ultimately to the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937. Summers touches briefly upon ongoing debates over the nature of Japanese colonial medicine in Taiwan, Korea, and Manchuria, aligning with those who view Japan’s appropriation of “Western” medicine as a critical “tool of empire.” He argues that the Southern Manchurian Railway authorities, working in conjunction with the Japanese Army, pursued policies that harnessed medical science and public health to Japan’s imperial ambitions. Yet, he also notes that the situation in Manchuria was complicated not only by the involvement of other foreign powers in the region but also by the fact that in 1910–11 the Qing dynasty retained authority over much of its northeastern territory. Management of the crisis required international cooperation and collaboration (as evidenced by the International Plague Conference held in Shenyang in April 1911), a reality that may have slowed Japanese imperial expansion somewhat but could not derail what Summers sees as Japan’s “inevitable” invasion of Manchuria (p. 143). Despite his ambition to build upon the work of earlier scholars (p. 12), Summers does little to revise our current understanding of the Manchurian plague. To be sure, he utilizes an abundance of new source material from the U.S. National Archives and the Public Records Office of the Foreign Office of the United Kingdom. However, his heavy reliance on English-language materials can take him only so far. It is difficult to provide a fresh take on this well-studied event without reference to the Russian, Japanese, and Chinese sources that other historians have recently tapped to excellent effect. The book nonetheless provides a succinct overview of the Manchurian plague, its epidemiological and ecological history, the varied political and social responses to it by different national governments, and its geopolitical impact within the complicated diplomatic context of northeastern Asia. Written for those unfamiliar with the history of modern China...

Dynamic Modal Assessment of Old Reticular Steel Railway Bridges Undergoing Fatigue Deterioration

To reduce traffic disruption due to a live-cycle and seismic damage it is necessary to study the causes in infrastructures and bridges. When we talk about steel structures and in particular steel bridges, we know that they are very flexible and consequently easy to identify by ambient vibration methods. In a collaborative project between the University of Padua and the Italian Railway Authority, two old reticular steel bridges (1920) were subject to in-situ structural identification, demolition and consequent laboratory fatigue tests. On account to their similarity it was possible to acquire dynamic data for several days by using the same acquisition logger and 12 acceleration sensors After the data of the two analyzed reticular bridges have been filtered, accurate vibrating modes were identified by using both time and frequency domain techniques and the results were outstanding. In order to use best-fitted material characteristics in the elements of the structures, destructive and non-destructive tests were executed. The results permitted to realize very accurate finite element models and calibrate them for successive fatigue scenarios by comparing laboratory and numeric tests.

Analysis and Load-carrying Capacity Estimation of Existing Railway Filler-beam Deck Bridges

Abstract In the paper, the actual condition of several existing concrete railway bridges with encased steel beams is discussed. This structural type represents relatively often solution for small span railway bridges in Slovakia. The main conclusions from inspections and in-situ diagnostics are published together with the results of the loadcarrying capacity calculation on the basis of new European codes. Despite of well-known disadvantages, the bridges with filler-beam decks are still demanded by railway authorities because of their big stiffness and small construction depth.