Experimental investigation of double composite twin-girder railway bridges

A railway bridge with a double composite section has been proposed to enhance the structural performance of existing twin-girder bridges, because the governing design parameter of railway bridges is flexural stiffness. The concrete deck in negative moment regions is neglected in the design of continuous composite bridges assuming the concrete slab has no resistance to tension. Therefore, the flexural stiffness of the composite section in the negative moment region is reduced, resulting in an increase of the depth of the steel section. In this study, push-out tests on lying studs and mixed stud shear connection with lying and vertical studs were performed to investigate the behavior of the shear connection in the double composite section. In addition, the static strength of the shear connection was evaluated. This study focuses on continuous two girder bridge models of 5m-5m span length with the proposed double composite section. From the static tests on the bridge models, several design considerations were investigated including the effective width, shear connection, and ultimate strength of the double composite section. Based on the test results, design guidelines and innovative twin-girder bridges were suggested. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.