An Experimental Investigation Of Rail Structure Interaction Under Peak Loads Using Instrumentation

The importance of Rail Structure Interaction (RSI) Analysis has increased as a result of the use of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) on bridges. It mainly focuses on calculating the forces induced in rails and bridge components as a result of interaction effects and inspects track and structural elements for safety. Behaviour under vertical, tractive, and braking loads from the trains and end rotations generated by vertical bending under vertical trainloads are three key scenarios taken into consideration for generation of extra stresses in rails owing to the deck under the tracks. To measure the deflections acquired from three tests, i) deformation of the bridge under vertical load, (ii) Sudden Breaking load, and (iii) Tractive load, a wireless sensor network system has been installed on the first span of the bridge. The outcomes were compared with the numerical model developed using FEM-based software. Various outcomes and limitations with the instrumentation of the bridge for data collection are briefed in detail. The train-bridge system's dynamic behaviour was carried out based on a comparison between experimental responses acquired from a dynamic test and numerical responses.