Field testing and simulation of dynamic properties of a tied arch railway bridge

This paper deals with the dynamic effects on a tied arch railway bridge during train passages. The bridge is located in Ånge municipality in central Sweden. Large vibrations of the hangers were observed during train passages and field measurements have been performed to study the train induced vibrations of the hangers. According to the Palmgren–Miners linear damage rule, there is a great risk of fatigue in the threaded parts of the hangers. The low damping in the hangers has a large influence of the risk of fatigue failure. A 3D finite element model of the bridge has been developed where the dynamic vehicle–bridge interaction was modelled using contact surface formulation with a sprung mass train system. The measured data results are compared with the results from the FE model to give a better understanding of the dynamic behaviour of the bridge.