Design of Bridge Expansion Joints with Perforated Dowels Under Impact Loading

The expansion joints are expected to have movement capacity, bearing capacity for static and dynamic loading, water-tightness, low noise emission and traffic safety. In particular, the failure due to impact loading is the main reason for the observed damages. The problem of dynamic behavior of the expansion joints is so complex that we shall focus our attention on the impact factor for vehicle load that is governed by traffic impact. In order to overcome this difficulty, the cantilever-toothed aluminum joint (finger joint) is one of the promising joints under impact loading. In this study, from the viewpoint of design methodology, numerical studies for impact behavior were conducted for aluminum alloy expansion joints with perforated dowels. The design impact factor for the expansion joints with the perforated dowels against traffic impact loading was examined by using numerical simulations.

Effects of Ultraviolet Radiation,High Temperature and Alkaline Chemicals on Ageing of Silicone Sealants Used in Ballastless Track Expansion Joints

Expansion joints silicone sealants used in high speed railway construction suffer from ultraviolet radiation（UV）, high temperature combined with the alkaline environment. To evaluate the durability and analyse the ageing mechanism, six one-component silicone sealants from different companies were selected and subjected to accelerated ageing tests including UV, thermal and alkali ageing treatments. The ageing effects on the performance of the sealants were evaluated via the appearance and the mechanical property changes. The changes in molecular structure were studied by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）, differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） and thermogravimetry（TG）. This study revealed that different materials displayed different sensibilities to the ageing methods, in which 15 %-20 % decreases of mechanical properties could be observed under UV radiation test, owning the most significant effects. Structure analysis showed that the physical changes of aggregative states were the principal factors to the performance, along with the chemical slight changes. The glossiness dropped significantly in ageing test, which could be used as one of the effective evaluation parameters for ageing conditions in the field.

Durability of Bridge Expansion Joints with Perforated Dowels Under Traffic Impact Loading

In design phases, expansion joints are required to have movement capacity, bearing capacity for static and dynamic loading, watertight, low noise emission and traffic safety. On the basis of the fact that failure due to dynamic loading is the main reason for the observed damages, attention is focused on the bearing capacity for dynamic loading governed by impact, because it differs from the static loading. In this study, from the viewpoint of durability, experimental studies for dynamic behavior were conducted for aluminium alloy expansion joints with perforated dowels. The validity of the perforated dowels against traffic impact loading was confirmed by both experimental and numerical studies.

Damage alarming for bridge expansion joints using novelty detection technique based on long-term monitoring data

Damage alarming and safety evaluation using long-term monitoring data is an area of significant research activity for long-span bridges. In order to extend the research in this field, the damage alarming technique for bridge expansion joints based on long-term monitoring data was developed. The effects of environmental factors on the expansion joint displacement were analyzed. Multiple linear regression models were obtained to describe the correlation between displacements and the dominant environmental factors. The damage alarming index was defined based on the multiple regression models. At last, the X-bar control chart was utilized to detect the abnormal change of the displacements. Analysis results reveal that temperature and traffic condition are the dominant environmental factors to influence the displacement. When the confidence level of X-bar control chart is set to be 0.003, the false-positive indications of damage can be avoided. The damage sensitivity analysis shows that the proper X-bar control chart can detect 0.1 cm damage-induced change of the expansion joint displacement. It is reasonably believed that the proposed technique is robust against false-positive indication of damage and suitable to alarm the possible future damage of the expansion joints.

Numerical analysis of influence of expansion joints on welding residual stress of an EGR cooler

The influence of expansion joints on the welding residual stress at the tube-plate junction of an exhaust gas recirculation(EGR)cooler was studied by numerical simulation method.The simulation results show that the expansion joints set on the housing of the EGR cooler mainly for the sake of protecting the tube-plate joints from bearing additional heating stress can also reduce the welding residual tensile stress.The expansion joints set on the EGR cooler can mitigate the tensile force acting on the edges of the main plates through its elastic extension,and thus reduce the magnitude of welding residual tensile stress at the tube-plate junction.

Assessment of bridge expansion joints using long-term displacement measurement under changing environmental conditions

This paper addresses the problem of condition assessment of bridge expansion joints using long-term measurement data under changing environmental conditions.The effects of temperature,traffic loading and wind on the expansion joint displacements are analyzed and interpreted,which reveal that measured displacements are observed to increase with an increase in temperature and to decrease with increased traffic loading,while the correlation between displacement and wind speed is very weak.Two regression models are developed to simulate the varying displacements under the changes in temperature and traffic loadings.Based on these models,the effects of the environmental conditions are removed to obtain the normalized displacement.Statistical process control using mean value control charts is further used to detect damage to the bridge expansion joints.The results reveal that the proposed method had a good capability for detecting the damage-induced 1.0%variances of the annual changes in the expansion joint displacements.

Application Study on Elastomer Expansion Joint in Heavy Haul Railway

The article summarizes related research results and achievements of elastomer expansion device in railway bridge and puts forward a new idea of using polyurethane elastomer material to seal concrete bridge joints between adjacent spans in heavy haul railways. The new type expansion device is composed of polyurethane elastomer material and named TTXF （elastomer expansion joint）. In theory, researchers find out expansion joint deformation regularity between adjacent bridge spans through theoretical analysis and detection in heavy haul railways, such as Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway and Shenchi-Huanghua Port Railway. Fatigue tests prove that TTXF can adapt to permanent and dynamic deformation. On the other hand, it has been successfully applied in the test section of Central South of Shanxi Railway Passage and continuous monitoring has been conducted in extreme weather for over one year. The expansion joint has a good effect practically.

BASF and Sinopec Break Ground on $1.4 Billion Expansion of Nanjing Joint Venture Chemical Site

BASF and Sinopec began the construction for the expansion of their joint venture,BASF-YPC Co.,Ltd. (BYC). BASF and Sinopec plan to jointly invest approximately $1.4 billion

Stress distribution in roadbeds of slab tracks with longitudinal discontinuities

Stress concentration occurs in the foundations of railway tracks where discontinuous components are located.The exacerbated stress under the expansion joints in slab tracks may trigger foundation failures such as mud pumping.Although the higher stress due to the discontinuities of track structures has been discussed in past studies,few focused on the stress response of roadbeds in slab tracks and quantitatively characterized the stress pattern.In this paper,we performed a dynamic finite element analysis of a track-formation system,incorporating expansion joints as primary longitudinal discontinuities.The configurations of CRTS Ⅲ slab tracks and the contact conditions between concrete layers were considered.Numerical results show that longitudinal influencing length of induced stress on roadbed under wheel load relates to the contact conditions between concrete layers,increasing nonlinearly at a larger coefficient of friction.Given a measured coefficient of friction of 0.7,the calculated longitudinal influencing length(9.0 m) matches with field data.The longitudinal influencing length is not affected with the increasing velocity.As stress concentration arises with expansion joints,the worstcase scenario emerges when double-axle loads are exerted immediately above the expansion joints between concrete bases.A stress concentration factor Cvon the roadbed is proposed;it increases with the increasing velocity,changing from 1.33 to 1.52 at velocities between 5 and 400 km/h.The stress distribution on roadbeds transforms from a trapezoid pattern at continuous sections to a triangle pattern at points with longitudinal discontinuities.An explicit expression is finally proposed for the stress pattern on roadbed under expansion joints.Although structural discontinuities induce stress raiser,the extent of concentration is mitigated with increasing depth at different velocity levels.

Mechanical deformation properties of Continuous Welded Rail on kilometer-span suspension bridge for high-speed railway

The complex bridge-track interaction between kilometer-span bridges and continuous Welded Rail(CWR)brings great challenges to CWR designing.Taking a suspension bridge with laying CWR as a case,the mechanical properties of CWR on the bridge are analyzed to reveal the sensitive areas of the track,and the design method of CWR and track structures on the beam ends are proposed.The results show that the unidirectional Rail Expansion Joints(REJ)need to be installed on the beam end of the kilometer-span bridge to reduce rail longitudinal force.Due to the bridge characteristics,there is no CWR fixed area on the kilometer-span bridge,and rail longitudinal force on the main span caused by bending loads needs to be concerned.The deformation of track on the beam end is complex,which is the weak area on the kilometer bridge,the large relative displacement between the stock rail of REJ and the main beam can cause poor stability of ballast bed on beam end,small resistance fasteners need to be laid on the sides of stock rail on the main beam to increase the stability of ballast and fasteners on the beam end.To improve the driving safety and comfort of beam end,the Sleeper-Supporting Apparatus(SSA)should be specially designed to ensure the uniform transition of track on beam ends.Temperature and wind loads have a significant impact on track regularity on the kilometer span bridge,the dynamic response of trains and bridges under those loads needs to be attended to.

Research and Development of ITER Bellows Assemblies

In ITER facilities, there are some special expansion joints connected with the openings of cryostat. Expect for the assemblies connected with NB openings, others are rectangular section with big dimensions and severe working conditions and they are important for ITER safe runing.

Pavement structure and materials design for sea-crossing bridges and tunnel:Case study of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge

With the continuous development of bridge and tunnel construction technologies,large-scale sea-crossing bridges and tunnels have gradually become the preferred choice for regional traffic.The construction technology of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge(HZMB),one of the most representative sea-crossing passageways,is instructive for the construction of other large sea-crossing infrastructures.At present,the pavement design method of sea-crossing passageways lacks pertinence as it still refers to specifications for design of common pavement.Therefore,it is necessary to consider the bridge and tunnel pavement of HZMB as a typical example to analyze key technical problems encountered in its design,construction and operation.Novel solutions for material selection and structural design built upon the analysis of such critical problems should thus follow up.Based on comprehensive literature research,it can be found that environmental variability,tunnel closure,structural differential settlement and expansion deformation are the key technical problems faced by pavement of sea-crossing passageways.In view of the environmental variability,the steel deck-paving material and structure design of GMA-10 t SMA-13 is innovatively proposed.As for the closure of immersed tube tunnel,warm-mix flame retardant asphalt mixture is used to control pavement design through key indexes such as temperature and limit oxygen index.Regarding the deformation of immersed pipe joints,BJ200 asphalt seamless expansion joint material is introduced,which effectively satisfies the multi-directional deformation between pipe joints and ensures the smoothness of the road surface and driving comfort.For segmental joints,double-layer waterproof-coiled material is used to effectively prevent reflective cracks while ensuring the continuity of asphalt concrete pavement.Therefore,this paper provides a panel of ideas and methods for the pavement design of the same type of sea-crossing passageways.

Typical diseases of a long-span concrete-filled steel tubular arch bridge and their effects on vehicle-induced dynamic response

A long-span concrete-filled steel tubular(CFST)arch bridge suffers severe vehicle-induced dynamic responses during its service life.However,few quantitative studies have been reported on the typical diseases suffered by such bridges and their effects on vehicle-induced dynamic response.Thus,a series of field tests and theoretical analyses were conducted to study the effects of typical diseases on the vehicle-induced dynamic response of a typical CFST arch bridge.The results show that a support void results in a height difference between both sides of the expansion joint,thus increasing the effect of vehicle impact on the main girder and suspenders.The impact factor of the displacement response of the main girder exceeds the design value.The variation of the suspender force is significant,and the diseases are found to have a greater effect on a shorter suspender.The theoretical analysis results also show that the support void causes an obvious longitudinal displacement of the main girder that is almost as large as the vertical displacement.The support void can also cause significant changes in the vehicle-induced acceleration response,particularly when the supports and steel box girder continue to collide with each other under the vehicle load.