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Jaroslav Černi Water Institute , Belgrade , Serbia
In this paper, the influence of bridge expansion length on the distribution of additional temperature stresses in continuously welded rails is investigated. Using a representative railway viaduct as a case study, the effects of thermal interaction between the track and the bridge are analyzed. The research focuses on the design phase, particularly on the definition of bridge expansion lengths through the arrangement of bridge supports, i.e., the position of fixed and movable bearings, which directly determine these lengths. Numerical models of thermal track/bridge interaction were developed to quantify additional temperature stresses in rails for different bridge expansion lengths. The results show that shorter expansion lengths lead to lower additional temperature stresses, whereas longer expansion lengths result in higher stresses. The obtained findings enable the optimization of track structure design on bridges, contributing to safer and more reliable operation of continuously welded rails on railway bridges.
railway track, continuously welded rails, track/bridge interaction, bridge expansion length, temperature stresses, numerical modeling
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