Defects systematization of reinforced concrete bridges of ukrainian railways as the result of their inspection

Visual inspection is the important part of the bridges management. Many defectscan be detected that determine the traffic conditions, service life, and operation cost. Thedeterioration of bridges calls for effective methods for condition evaluation and maintenance as wellas suitable methods of their repair and recovery. This article aims defects systematization ofreinforced concrete bridges to define the effective method for recovering of their technical state. Morethan 100 reinforced concrete bridges in Ukrainian railways were inspected from 2017 to 2021.Ultrasonic pulse velocity, penetration resistance, reinforcement corrosion tests, and rebar locatingwere performed on beams, bed block, and piers of reinforced concrete bridges. It is shown that themost probable reasons of defects are natural impacts (freezing-thawing, moisturizing-drying),technogenic factors (train vibration, leakage current), and technological disadvantages(unsatisfactory production or setting). During the inspection, there are three categories of defectswere defined. The first one does not influence the train traffic (for example, deficient protectiveconcrete layer). The second one can limit the train traffic (for instance, crack width more than 0.3mm). The third category endangers the safe railway operation (such as an intense leaching of cementstone at an area more than 2 m2). It is made a proposal to match external signs of damage withreasons their appearance and methods of recovery. Three main types of repairs are used in Ukrainianrailways: torkret process, steel hooping, waterproof layer. However, the relationship between thetype of defect and the method of recovery has not been estimated before. It is important that themethods of repair and protection will be assigned according to their operation state (a disabled staterequires immediate recovery of the structures) as well as the reasons of appearance (destructiveacts). These methods must prevent a future destruction or protect of the structures.

Monitoring and Analysis of Dynamic Response for Open-Pit Mine with Inside Inclined Shafts under Train Loading

The stability of open-pit mining is a hot issue in geotechnical engineering. A mining railroad is in operation on the slope where the east exhaust inclined shaft and the east sand injection inclined shaft on the Laohutai Mine are located, and it was necessary to determine whether railroad vibration would have an impact on the safety of the inclined shafts. With this project as the background, the dynamic response of the slope with inside two inclined shafts was conducted under train loading. A three-dimensional numerical model by using PLAXIS 3D was established to analyze the stability of the slope. The results show that the dynamic reaction caused by the full-loaded train is significantly greater than the no-load train. The safety factor of the slope under the dynamic load is 1.201, and the maximum displacement of the slope which occurred in the gravel layer directly beneath the train track is about 5 mm. The acceleration responses of the two inclined shafts are almost consistent. The maximum horizontal and vertical acceleration occur at the epidote weak layer. The acceleration directly below the load increases significantly. Therefore, it can be considered that the slopes are stable under the action of train vibration, and the influence on the two inclined shafts is small and negligible.

Comparison of Dynamic Characteristics between Small and Super-Large Diameter Cross-River Twin Tunnels under Train Vibration

Train vibration from closely aligned adjacent tunnels could cause safety concerns, especially given the soaring size of the tunnel diameter. This paper established a two-dimensional discrete element model (DEM) of small (d = 6.2 m) and super-large (D = 15.2 m) diameter cross-river twin tunnels and discussed the dynamic characteristics of adjacent tunnels during the vibration of a train that runs through the tunnel at a speed of 120 km/h. Results in the D tunnel showed that the horizontal walls have the same horizontal displacement (DH) and the vertical walls have the same vertical displacement (DV). The stress state of the surroundings of the D tunnel is the decisive factor for DH, and the distance from the vibration point to the measurement point is the decisive factor for DV. Results in the comparison of the d and D tunnels showed that the D tunnel is more stable than the d tunnel with respect to two aspects: the time the tunnel reaches the equilibrium state and the vibration amplitude of the structure’s dynamic and static responses. The dynamic characteristic of the d and D tunnel is significantly different. This research is expected to guide the design and construction of large diameter twin tunnels.

Numerical Investigation on Crack Propagation and Fatigue Life Estimation of Shield Lining under Train Vibration Load

Dynamic loads such as the train vibration load usually act on the shield tunnel lining in the long term, which could make the initial flaws in shield segment propagate and gradually weaken the robustness of the tunnel structure. In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical model of shield tunnel lining structure with the initial defect is built to study its dynamic reaction and fatigue crack propagation under the train vibration load. Furthermore, the damage to intact shield segment caused by train vibration load is studied by employing the rain-flow counting method and the Miner damage theory, and a rational fatigue life estimation for the concrete shield tunnel lining is finally made. Results show that crack propagation is influenced by both the train speed and train axle, the higher the train speed, the longer the final crack, and train axle has a larger influence than train speed on the crack propagation in shield tunnel segment. The shield tunnel lining structure of Nanjing Metro Line 5 can meet the demand of working for a hundred years under the current working conditions.

Experimental and Numerical Research on Defective Shield Segment under Cyclic Loading

The retaining structure of a shield tunnel is usually subjected to static loading; however, cyclic loading such as the vibration loading of the train will act on the lining structure year after year that cannot be neglected. Due to the complex manufacturing and assembling process of the lining segment, initial defects in the segment are inevitable. Such defects will propagate under the cyclic loading such as the train vibration, which may cause a large threat to the shield tunnel system. In this paper, a defective shield tunnel lining segment under cyclic loading is studied by both a full-scale experiment and three-dimensional numerical simulations to investigate its fracture properties and failure mechanism and make a rational estimate of its fatigue life. Results show that crack propagation of the defective shield tunnel segment can be identified as several different stages based on its deformation characteristics, and the failure pattern of the segment is determined by its initial defects. The results by the experiment and numerical investigation are in good agreement for each other.

A Study On The Detection Performance According To The Installation Conditions Of The Vibration Simulator

Vibration measurement and diagnosis technologies are widely applied for preventive maintenance that monitors the condition of facilities and conduct repairs before the occurrence of failures by identifying signs of failure. In order to train vibration measurement and diagnosis, the vibration simulators are commonly used to measure and analyze the vibration to determine abnormalities of facilities. In this paper, analyze the correlation of installation conditions on measurement performance of vibration simulator, various installation conditions and abnormal phenomena were measured through experiments and the results were analyzed and the correct installation conditions are suggested.

Field Measurement and Numerical Simulation of Train-Induced Vibration from a Metro Tunnel in Soft Deposits

Train-induced vibration is increasingly attracting people’s concern nowadays. In the coastal areas, many metro tunnels are built in the soft deposits, so the train-induced vibration effect is more serious. Nevertheless, the existing research studies mainly focus on the dynamic responses in the tunnel or on the ground surface while vibration characteristics in the ground are seldom studied. In this paper, a comprehensive field measurement was performed by installing accelerometers in the tunnel and soil layers and on the ground surface to capture the response characteristics of the track-tunnel-ground system. Elastoplastic numerical simulation considering the soil-water coupling was conducted to reveal the responses of acceleration, dynamic displacement, and excess pore water pressure using FE code DBLEAVES. Measurement results indicate that high-frequency contents (>500 Hz) attenuate rapidly in the propagation process; the dominant frequency of the rail concentrates in the middle- and high-frequency bands, about 25–400 Hz and 1000–1500 Hz, while the frequencies of the track bed, soil layers, and ground surface drop to below 400, 200, and 100 Hz, respectively. The vertical ground acceleration decreases like an arc in the transverse direction while there is transverse acceleration amplification phenomenon at a distance from the upper haunch and lower haunch of the tunnel. Overall, the area affected by train vibration in the soft deposits is about 30 m away from the metro tunnel. Numerical simulation based on soil-water coupled analysis is feasible to model the vibration characteristics in the soft deposits and confirms that there is acceleration amplification in the ground. Moreover, numerical results indicate that excess pore water pressure can be accumulated during each train vibration, so the train-induced settlement will be a potential problem in the long term for the metro tunnel.