Doubling of Tracks in Plate Girder Bridges without Demolition

Abstract

There is a steady growth of passengers and freight transportation in the recent years and since the Indian railway networks are single-track it increases the desideratum for its capacity. Even through there is recurring congestion and the existing tracks have been over-utilized, the construction of the new tracks is being nominal when related to the rising traffic though the decades. The possible solution to this problem is quoted to be the doubling of the track. The existing rail network is seeking for its up gradation to doubling as it is probably one of the most advantageous and gainful investments. Hence the Extension of single-track lines into double-track in bridges is being carried out without the demolition of existing structures like pier, abutments etc by providing suitable retrofitting methods as it will be an important part of future rail investments. The need for the construction of a new bridge is eliminated. As a part of the extension, various techniques have been suggested and the introduction of prestressing rods was implemented to strengthen the bridge structure due to doubling of the tracks in the railway networks system. Tests for deflection were conducted for both single and double track in the plate girder bridge. The behavior of the bridge during testing was observed and the results were studied. The analysis of the bridge was done using Staad.Pro V8i software.