Case Study of the 156 m Simply Supported Steel Truss Railway Bridge

Simply supported steel truss bridge has been widely used in the construction of railway lines over the past decades in China due to its light weight, simple structure and convenient construction. This bridge type was used for the New Yellow River Bridge in the Huang-Han-Hou railway line. The span of the New Yellow River Bridge is 156 m and it is presently the longest span simply supported steel truss railway bridge in China. The objective of this paper is to highlight the case features of this simply supported steel truss bridge. The structural components, structural dimensions and design criteria are introduced; results of modal analysis are explored. In addition, key issues associated with structural design are analyzed including disconnections in stringers, longitudinal force in track and seismic response induced by track-bridge interaction. Finally, a brief account of the construction method comparison and incremental launching method are given.