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Composite steel-concrete trusses for railway bridge superstructures

Article · January 2014

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 Green Buildings Technologies and Materials

COMPOSITE STEEL-CONCRETE TRUSSES FOR RAILWAY BRIDGE

SUPERSTRUCTURES

Assoc. Prof. Ştefan I. Guţiu

Lecturer Dr. Cătălin Moga
Lecturer Alexandra D. Danciu
Technical University from Cluj-Napoca, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Romania

ABSTRACT
Composite steel-concrete structures with the steel substructure as a truss can offer a
number of benefits from the point of view of material consumption, both in the case of
civil or industrial buildings and in the case of road and railway bridges.
For composite truss structures the design methodology is not presented in detail in the
Eurocode 4. The design implies some particularities that are not included in the
literature.
In this paper an adaptation of Euro norms EN 1994-1-1:2004. Eurocode 4 - Design of
composite and concrete structures – Part 1-1: General rules for buildings and EN 1994-
2:2004. Eurocode 4 - Design of composite and concrete structures – Part 2: General
rules and rules for bridges to the design of bridge superstructures with steel trusses are
presented.
A railway bridge superstructure with a 30.0 m span was calculated after the presented
methodology and a number of observations and comments useful in the design activity
were formulated.

Keywords: composite steel-concrete decks, steel trusses, bridge design

INTRODUCTION. GENERAL ASPECTS.

The paper presents an adaptation after the design methodology proposed for composite
beams in the Euro norms EN 1994-1-1:2004. Eurocode 4 - Design of composite and
concrete structures – Part 1-1: General rules for buildings and EN 1994-2:2004.
Eurocode 4 - Design of composite and concrete structures – Part 2: General rules and
rules for bridges for the design of road and railway bridge decks with simply supported
girders. The girder top chord is made out of I or H hot rolled steel beams and the plate is
a monolithic concrete plate working together with the steel beams (in the case of
compressed mono-symmetrical flanges the calculation has insignificant modifications).
Composite structures for railway bridges with decks supporting the ballast and road
bridges are frequently used both in Romania and in other countries due to the known
advantages of this structural type [2], [3]. Usually, the steel beams used are hot rolled
steel beams of welded cross-sections.
14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

For these structural systems the design methodology presented in EC4 can be applied
directly. For composite truss structures the methodology is not presented in detail. The
design implies some particularities and the technical literature do not include sufficient
information relating to this area.

DESIGN METHODOLOGY
The design methodology presented in this part was developed for the superstructure of a
railway bridge [2] with the deck made out of two simply supported trusses with
diagonals and posts, figure 1. The deck is a reinforced concrete plate supporting the
ballast on which the sleepers are posed.

Fig.1. Railway bridge composite superstructure – truss working together with the
concrete plate

Erection stages and structural behaviours

The design has to take into account the following erection stages:
Stage 1: Steel truss without concrete slab
This erection stage corresponds to the fitting of the trusses before the 28 days after the
pouring of the concrete plate slab.
Stage 1 takes into account the following loading steps:
Step 1: after the fitting of the trusses. The trusses are loaded with their own dead weight
and the upper chord is generally not fixed with other elements that could prevent lateral
buckling; load g1.
Step 2: after the fitting of the secondary beams and the wind bracings – the definitive
ones and/or provisional ones. The trusses are loaded with the dead weight of the added
elements but the buckling length of the compressed chord is reduced to the distance
between the secondary beams; load g2.
Step 3: after the pouring of the concrete (before the hardening of the concrete). At the
previous loads one should add the concrete slab weight, the formwork weight and other
weights resulted due to the pouring process; load g3.
Measures to prevent the buckling of the compressed flange chord should be taken until
the fitting of the secondary beams; in this care steps 1, 2 and 3 can be discussed as one.
Stage 2: The truss works together with the concrete slab
In this stage the beams are loaded with two types of loadings:
lt – long term loadings: the dead weight after the hardening of the concrete slab; in this
case one should add the following structural components: the waterproofing weight; the
 Green Buildings Technologies and Materials

ballast weight; the rail weight (sleepers, rails, clamping parts); sidewalks, fences etc.(if
there are any); load g4.
st – short term loadings: the railway load model; the wind; seismic action; load model
on sidewalks; other loads.
Superstructure stress-state
The superstructure stress-state can be established taking into account the construction
stages presented and, for the composite structure, the designer has to use the equivalent
coefficients for steel-concrete that are different depending on the type of loading: short
term or long term.
Stage 1: Steel truss without concrete slab
The stresses in the bottom and upper chord are determined from the axial force resulted
from the bending moment. At the upper chord the effect of local buckling is added, the
upper chord being a continuous beam on elastic supports, the truss nodes.
For the evaluation of the bending moment in the upper chord, figure 2, the proposed
relation is (1):
mEd = k  m0 (1)

1.2 − between knots

where: k =  ; m0 - bending moment for the simply supported beam
0.8 − in the knots
with the span d.

Fig. 2. Bending moment diagram m of Fig. 3. Stress-state in the chords – Stage 1

the upper chord
F1
M Ed
Axial forces in the chords: F1
N Ed = (2)
h0
Stresses in the chords, according to figure 3:
F1
N Ed m F1
Upper chord:  1F; 12 =  Ed (3)
  ATS W y.TS
F1
N Ed
Lower chord:  F1
TI = (4)
ATI
Stage 2: The truss works together with the concrete slab
Long term loadings (lt), Figure 4:
14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

F2
M Ed
.lt = 
F2 .lt
Axial stresses in the chords: N Ed (5)
hclt
Steel-concrete equivalence coefficient: n L = n0  [1 +  L   (t , t 0 )] (6)

Fig.4. Stress-state in the chords – Stage 2: long term loadings (lt)

Stresses in the chords
• Upper chord (between the knots/in the knots):
F2 F2
N Ed mEd
 1F.lt2 = .lt
 .lt
z1c.lt - in the steel lower fibre (7.a)
ATSc.lt I yc..TS
lt

F2 F2
N Ed mEd
 2F.lt2 = .lt
 .lt
z 2c.lt - in the steel upper fibre (7.b)
ATSc.lt I yc..TS
lt

F2 F2
N Ed mEd
 cF.lt2 = .lt
 .lt
z cc.lt - in the concrete upper fibre (steel equivalent) (7.c)
ATSc.lt I yc..TS
lt

NFEd2.lt
• Lower chord: FTS2 .lt = (8)
A TI
Short term loadings (st), Figure 5:
F2
M Ed
Axial stresses in the chords: N F2
Ed . st =  st .st (9)
hc
Steel-concrete equivalent coefficient: n0

Fig.5. Stress-state in the chords – Stage 2: short term loadings (st)

 Green Buildings Technologies and Materials

Stresses in the chords

• Upper chords (between knots):
F2 F2
N Ed mEd
 1F.st2 = . st
c. st
 . st
c. st
z1c.st - in the steel lower fibre (10.a)
ATS I y.TS
F2 F2
N Ed mEd
 2F.st2 = . st
c. st
 . st
c. st
z 2c.st - in the steel upper fibre (10.b)
ATS I y.TS
F2 F2
N Ed mEd
 cF.st2 = . st
c. st
 . st
c. st
z cc.st - in the concrete upper fibre (steel equivalent) (10.c)
ATS I y.TS

• Lower chord:
F2
N Ed
 TIF 2.st = . st
(11)
ATI
Final stresses
Upper chord:
fy
 1 =  1F 1 +  1F.lt2 +  1F.st2  - in the steel lower fibre (12.a)
 M0
fy
 2 =  2F 1 +  2F.lt2 +  2F.st2  - in the steel upper fibre (12.b)
 M0
 cF.lt2  cF.st2 0.85  f ck
c = +  - in the concrete upper fibre (between knots) (12.c)
nL n0 c
fy
Lower chord:  TI =  TSF 1 +  TSF 2.lt +  TSF 2.st  (13)
 M0
Reduction coefficient  for the compressed chord
For elements with a constant cross-section, subjected to uniform compression, the
reduction coefficient  can be determined as a function of the reduced slenderness
coefficient  , using relation (14):
1
= ;  1 (14)
2
 +  − 2

 A fy
 − Class1, 2, 3
 2
( )   N cr
where:  = 0,5 1 +   − 0,2 +  ;  - imperfection factor;  = 
 Aeff  f y
 − Class 4
 N cr
14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

For double T cross-section, the buckling mode and the critical buckling force are given
in [1].

NUMERICAL EXAMPLE
The design methodology is applied to a simple deck railway, Figure 6, knowing the
following design data:
Truss span: L = 30.00 m; Distance between trusses: B = 2.80 m;
Materials: Lower chord: steel S 355 ML/NL; Lower chord, diagonals: steel S 235 K2
M; concrete C30/37.

Fig.6. Railway bridge with a composite superstructure

Actions
By using estimative relations for the evaluation of the superstructure weight, the
characteristic weights of the construction materials, loads models and equivalent
loadings, the following actions resulted:
Stage 1: Steel weight: g1 + g 2 = 25 kN / m ; Concrete slab weight before hardening,
including formworks and auxiliary loadings used in the pouring process:
g3 = 28 kN / m
Stage 2: Long term loadings: g 4 = 5 + 25 + 9 = 39 kN / m . Short term loadings: Vertical
equivalent loading LM71: qeq = 109 kN / m .

Other loadings corresponding to LM71 and the direct wind action are taken by the
concrete slab. The indirect wind action is neglected.
Active width of the plate. Equivalence coefficients
The active width of the plate can be evaluated according to [5]. For the given case the
active width of the plate, at the mid-span is: beff = 180 cm . The equivalence coefficient
 Green Buildings Technologies and Materials

is evaluated according to [4] and [5]. The equivalence coefficient for short-term
loadings is n0 = 6.36 . The equivalence coefficient for long term loadings can be taken
as the simplified value: n = 3  n0 = 3  6.36 = 19 .
Stage 1: Steel truss without concrete slab

F1
Axial forces in the chords: N Ed =
F1
M Ed
=  1 610 kN , where, M Ed
F1 1
=  G
g  L 2

.
h0 2 8
The local bending moment, responsible for the bending of the upper chord between two
knots, can be approximated using the relation:

m F1 1
= k  G
 g  d  33.5 kN  m .
2

Ed
2 8
Stage 2: The truss works together with the concrete slab
Long term loadings (lt)
F2
M Ed 1 g 4  L2
F2
Axial stresses in the chords: N Ed .lt = 
.lt
= 1068 kN , where: M F2
Ed .lt =   G
hclt 2 8
The local bending moment, responsible for the bending of the upper chord between two
knots, can be approximated using the relation:
1 g d2
mFEd2.lt = k    G 4  24.7 kN  m
2 8
Short term loadings (st):

. st =  M Ed . st / hc =  3483 kN
F2 F2 st
Axial stresses in the chords: N Ed where:
1 qeq  L
2
F2
M Ed . st =   Q  3 
2 8
The dynamic coefficient for a railway with normal maintenance:
2.16
 = 3 = + 0.73 = 1.14 ; where: L = L = 30 m .
L − 0.2

The local bending moment, responsible for the bending of the upper chord between two
knots, can be approximated using the relation:
1 qeq  d 2

mFEd2.st = k    Q   3   84.5 kN  m . Steel-concrete equivalent coefficient:

2 8
n0 = 6.36
Final stresses
Upper chord:
 1 =  1F1 +  1F.lt2 +  1F.st2 = 1105 daN / cm2  f y /  M 0 = 2350 daN / cm2
 2 =  2F1 +  2F.lt2 +  2F.st2 = 1353 daN / cm2  f y /  M 0 = 2350 daN / cm2
 14th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2014

 cF.lt2  cF.st2 239 386 0.85  f ck 0.85  300

c = + = + = 73 daN / cm 2  = = 170 daN / cm 2
nL n0 19 6.36 c 1.5
fy
Lower chord:  TI =  TSF 1 +  TSF 2.lt +  TSF 2.st = 3115 daN / cm 2  = 3550 daN / cm 2
 M0
CONCLUSION AND COMMENTS
Composite decks with the steel trusses can offer advantageous constructive solutions for
road and railway bridges;
In finding the state of stresses, the designer should take into account the local bending
between two knots of the upper chord;
Considering that the upper chord of the truss behaves like a continuous beam on elastic
supports, at the first stage of the calculus it is difficult to evaluate the value of the
bending moments at the mid-span and near the supports;
The k coefficient, proposed in the paper for the evaluation of the upper chord bending
moments covers, in general, the values obtained in the second stage of the calculus,
when the bars cross-section are known and an automatic calculation can be done.
In the construction stage 1 the designer should take into account the buckling of the
compressed chord through the evaluation of the reduction coefficient  ;
The compression stresses from the compressed chord, given by the general bending of
the truss are larger than the stresses given by the local bending, therefor the slab is
compressed near the knots (the secondary beams);
If near the secondary beams, where the local bending moment is negative, the sum of
the stresses gives tension in the slab, one should take into account that cracked concrete
cannot take tension stresses, therefor the cross-section used in calculus can include the
slab reinforcement but not the concrete cross-section; in general, the steel cross-section
can be taken into account in the design in such a case;
In the upper compressed chord a lower grade of steel can be used than in the lower
chord, due to its better behaviour at the instability phenomenon;

REFERENCES

[1] MOGA, P., GUŢIU, Şt., MOGA, C.: Proiectarea elementelor din oţel. Teorie şi
aplicaţii. U.T.PRESS. 2012
[2] GUŢIU, Şt.: Poduri. Structuri compuse oţel beton. UT PRESS. 2012
[3] MOGA, C.: Elemente compuse oţel-beton. U.T.PRESS. 2010
[4] SR EN 1994-1- 1/2006. Eurocod 4 : Design of composite and steel structures – Part
1-1: General rules and rules for buildings
[5] SR EN 1994-2/2006. Eurocod 4 : : Design of composite and steel structures – Part 1-
1: General rules and rules for bridges

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