WP1 | State-of-the art review
Objectives
Detailed state of the art review considering bridge and high speed train interaction and seismic reliability of railway bridges.
Description of work
The main target of WP1 is to provide a detailed state-of-the-art review considering both mathematical description of the mechanical problem and earthquake reliability as well as life cycle cost benefit analysis of railway bridges. All drawbacks of existing methodologies will be analytically described and discussed, as well as their effect on bridge analysis and decision making, outlining the need for the new methodology and its expected impact. Regarding seismic reliability, methodologies with and without high-speed train and bridge interaction will be reviewed, highlighting the need for a new holistic methodology for the fragility estimation of the coupled system.
WP 1.1: State of the art review considering bridge and high speed train interaction and the effect of moving mass on dynamic characteristics.
WP 1.2: State of the art review regarding unilateral constraints (impact/contact) for complex dynamical systems and time integration (discretization) schemes of dynamical systems.
WP 1.3: State of the art review regarding earthquake reliability of railway bridges and bridge damage state definition with and without bridge and high speed train interaction, development of fragility curves.
WP 1.4: State of the art review regarding life-cycle cost benefit analysis of railway bridges.
Deliverables
D 1.1: State of the art review considering bridge and high speed train interaction and mathematical description of the mechanical system.
Deliverable D.1.1 is related to WP1.1 and WP1.2 and aims to provide a detailed state-of-the-art report regarding all existing formulations, outlining the need for the mathematical formulation and the discretization scheme proposed.
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 1
D 1.2: State of the art review considering available methodologies for earthquake reliability assessment of railway bridges (fragility curve development) and life cycle cost-benefit analysis.
Deliverable D.1.1 is related to WP1.3 and WP1.4 and aims to provide a detailed state-of-the-art report regarding all existing methodologies for fragility and life cycle cost-benefit analysis of railway bridges with and without high-speed train and bridge interaction, highlighting the need for a new holistic methodology for the fragility estimation of the coupled system.
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 2
WP2 | Methodology for the estimation of seismic reliability of coupled high-speed trains and railway bridges.
Objectives
Development of a holistic methodology including a novel formulation for analysis of coupled train and railway bridge mechanical systems and a new proposal for railway bridge-specific fragility analysis and damage state definition with and without bridge-moving train interaction consideration. The latter can be applied to existing railway (or even roadway) bridges in order to assess performance under earthquake for the case of high-speed trains
Description of work
Based on the literature review of WP1, the main target of WP2 is to develop a holistic methodology, aiming to overcome drawbacks considering dynamic analysis of mechanical systems including moving mass and unilateral and bilateral constraints; in particular drawbacks related to mathematical description of the problem that may result in constraint violation, loss of stability and finally convergence and accuracy problems. In line with the main target of the proposal, which is the assessment of seismic behavior of existing railway bridges considering bridge and high-speed train interaction in the frame of a global railway network assessment and upgrade, component damage states are defined and a new methodology for bridge-specific analysis is proposed, dully tailored in order to be applied to a railway bridge inventory (all bridges of a railway network). Since the methodology and the results are oriented for use in the frame of a finance assessment and future planning basic principles of life-cycle cost benefit analysis are incorporated in the holistic methodology proposed.
WP 2.1: Mathematical description of the complex mechanical system including moving mass, unilateral and bilateral constraints.
WP 2.2: Development of appropriate numerical (discretization) schemes based on a consistent weak form relation tailored to the specific problem.
WP 2.3: Novel methodology for dynamic analysis of the coupled train and railway bridge mechanical system.
WP 2.4: Damage state definition (quantification) for critical bridge components and the case of coupled bridge-high speed train system.
WP 2.5: New methodology for bridge-specific fragility analysis with and without bridge-moving train interaction consideration.
WP 2.6: Life-cycle cost benefit analysis of railway bridges.
Deliverables
D 2.1: Novel formulation and methodology for analysis of coupled train and railway bridge mechanical systems
Deliverable D.2.1 is related to WP2.1, WP2.2 and WP2.3 and aims to provide a new methodology based on a novel mathematical description of complex mechanical systems.
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 4
D 2.2: Methodology for the seismic reliability and life cycle cost-benefit analysis of coupled railway bridge-high speed train system.
Deliverable D.2.2 is related to WP2.4, WP2.5 and WP2.6 and aims to provide a new methodology for the seismic reliability of coupled complex railway bridge-high speed train systems, in order to assess seismic behavior of existing bridges of a railway network.
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 8
WP3 | Software development.
Objectives
Development of a fully parametrized software in C++, incorporating the proposed mathematical formulation for mechanical systems and the necessary the iterative procedure, as well as bridge-specific dynamic analysis and seismic assessment for different levels of earthquake intensity.
Description of work
The main target of WP3 is to develop a software consisting of two parts. In the first part, the novel mathematical formulation and methodology for analysis of coupled train and railway bridge mechanical systems will be incorporated and fully parametrized, in order to apply for different systems. Debugging and extensive checking will be performed. In the second part, software for bridge-specific fragility analysis, additionally considering for bridge-moving train interaction, will be developed dully tailored in order to be applied to a railway bridge inventory. The two parts of the software developed will be run consecutively, considering the effects of coupled mechanical system (high-speed trains) and railway bridge seismic behaviour (3d structural model) together in fragility analysis for different levels of earthquake intensity.
WP 3.1: Fully parametrized software in C++ regarding the analysis of complex coupled train and railway bridge mechanical system (constrained dynamic systems)
WP 3.2: Fully parametrized software in C++ for bridge-specific fragility analysis of railway bridges.
Deliverables
D 3.1: Software for analysis of complex coupled train and railway bridge mechanical system (constrained dynamic systems)
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 2
D 3.2: Software for bridge-specific fragility analysis of railway bridges
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 2
WP4 | Benchmark studies and fragility analysis of case study railway bridges
Objectives
Benchmark studies using the software developed in order to compare results and highlight the advantages of the proposed methodology will be performed. In addition, assessment of existing case study bridges with different structural systems for combined moving-load and earthquake loading will be performed, using the software developed for the application of the holistic methodology described in WP2 in order to discuss analysis results and conclusions reached.
Description of work
Benchmark analysis will be performed in order to check the software developed and highlight the methodology’s advantages. The holistic methodology of WP2 is applied on existing bridges in order to assess their behavior for the case of utilization as railway bridges, additionally considering bridge-moving train interaction.
WP 4.1: Benchmark studies considering coupled train and railway bridge mechanical system (constrained dynamic systems)
WP 4.2: Fragility analysis of existing monolithic bridge additionally considering high-speed train and railway bridge interaction.
WP 4.3: Fragility analysis of existing simply supported bridge additionally considering high-speed train and railway bridge interaction.
WP 4.4: Assessment and discussion of results and coupled system interaction effects on fragility analysis.
Deliverables
D 4.1: Benchmark studies analysis results and discussion
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 1
D 4.2: Fragility analysis of existing bridges with different structural systems and discussion of results (related to WPs 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 3
WP5 | Data collection – Application of the methodology proposed to bridges of a railway network
Objectives
Collection of data of existing bridges of a railway network, application of the methodology proposed to all bridges of the railway network and assessment of bridge performance for combined moving-load and earthquake loading in the frame of assessing private funding effectiveness and future railway network planning.
Description of work
Data of railway bridges of an existing railway network in Greece are collected and the methodology is applied to all railway bridges of network assessing their capacity and quantifying the probability of damage for the case of high-speed trains. Analysis results regarding the existing network and the probability of damage for the case of different levels of earthquake intensity combined with moving mass are discussed and assessed in the frame of assessing private funding effectiveness and future railway network planning.
WP 5.1: Data collection regarding existing bridges of a selected railway network
WP 5.2: Application of the methodology for the assessment of seismic behavior of railway bridges of an existing network
Deliverables
D 5.1: Collection of data regarding existing bridges of a selected railway network
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 1
D 5.2: Application of the methodology for the assessment of seismic behavior of railway bridges of an existing network – Asessment and discussion of results
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 3
WP6 | Website development
Objectives
Development of website providing state-of-the-art information and executable files allowing the seismic reliability estimation of existing railway bridges, utilizing a novel methodology for constrained dynamical systems (bridge-high speed train interaction).
Description of work
The possibility of exploiting and upgrading the existing railway (or even roadway network) for high-speed trains can be easily assessed in the frame of a financial analysis of results and efficiency of railway infrastructure EU funding. The latter, combined with the results of life cycle cost-benefit analysis, consists a useful tool for assessing private funding effectiveness and future railway network planning, mainly in northern Europe; i.e. Greece and Italy which are earthquake prone countries. Therefore, a website including all executable files of the software, reliability and life cycle cost-benefit analysis results is developed, freely distributable and available to all national and international authorities.
WP 6.1: Development of website for seismic reliability analysis of railway bridges in the frame of financial analysis of railway infrastructure investment efficiency.
Deliverables
D 6.1: Website providing state-of-the-art information and seismic reliability analysis of railway bridges considering high speed train-bridge interaction.
Estimated time of delivery from the beginning of the WP: Month 3
