MPC Research Reports
Report Details

Title:	Field Load Tests of Open-Deck Timber Trestle Railroad Bridges
Authors:	Richard Gutkowski, Geoffrey Robinson, and Abdalla Shigidi
University:	Colorado State University
Publication Date:	Aug 2001
Report #:	MPC-01-125
Project #:	MPC-137
TRID #:	00823241
Keywords:	deflection, diagnostic tests, field tests, loads, load tests, properties of materials, railroad bridges, railroad trains, rolling, strain (mechanics), timber, trestles

Abstract

A field load test program was conducted to evaluate three open-deck timber railroad trestle bridges. The bridges included part of a 31-span bridge, a 4-span bridge with skewed interior bents and a 3-span bridge. Plies of the chords of the bridges were evaluated non-destructively for material properties using an ultrasonic stress wave device. The bridges were modeled using typical frame analysis techniques to predict response to loads. Deflection and strain measurements were recorded from the load testing. The responses of the bridges to various loads were compared to the predicted responses from several analytical modeling assumptions.

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