Rehabilitation of Müngsten Viaduct, Germany

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Steel Bridge

The bridge connects the cities of Solingen and Remscheid. Approximately 120 years of rail traffic and climatic conditions have led to various damage to the structure. Furthermore, deficits in component design resulted from modified requirements of currently valid standards. Therefore, rehabilitation of the structure for further usage of at least 30 years was necessary.

The structural reanalysis of the bridge was performed by IWS Ingenieure. The check of the bridge analysis was carried out by PSP - Professor Sedlacek and Partner using RSTAB.

Structure

The bridge has a total length of 1,525 ft. It consists of an arc construction with a span of 577 ft and trestle bridges on both sides with individual lengths of 98 and 147 ft, which are supported on roller bearings on truss pillars.

There is a lane on top designed as open girder grillage; on the lane is a two‑tier railroad track superstructure.

Recalculation

The calculation for the operation and for the check was performed on the 3D framework model. The modeling was carried out in consideration of the detected damage. For example, special attention was paid to the structure's hinge points to display roller bearings with limited movement close to reality.

In contrast to the original structural analysis, 13 construction load cases were considered for the first time as well. For example, position manipulation of the truss arc. At that time, it was set up in the classic cantilever construction method with a cantilever length of up to 98 ft. The construction stages have a significant influence on the stress condition for the load case self‑weight.

In addition to the usual linearly variable loads from temperature, wind, acceleration/braking and lateral impact, 3 traffic loads (load effect UIC71 and so on) were applied. The recalculation was verified and calibrated by, among other things, conducted test runs under load conditions.

Results and Rehabilitation

With the recalculation, it was possible to calculate the damage on the structure. In individual structural components such as longitudinal and secondary beams of the road, wind bracings and anchorages, design ratios of over 200% were reached in some cases. This led to the decision that the bridge must be thoroughly reconstructed.

The most serious intervention was the replacement of the bridge lane, which required complete closure of the railroad line. Moreover, it was necessary to reduce the load level. The rehabilitation of the trestle bridges, pillars, foundation elements and the arc can take place during reduced railroad operation.

With the decision to rehabilitate the Müngsten Viaduct despite the high financial investments, an outstanding steel bridge structure is preserved.