Investigation of Longitudinal Forces in a Concrete Railroad Trestle

Abstract

Transportation Technology Center, Inc., the University of Illinois, and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway Company conducted tests on a long concrete trestle to quantify the longitudinal forces generated by a coal train with AC locomotives. Results support the American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association (AREMA) formula for forces due to traction. Testing determined the distribution of shear forces in bents and the equilibrium of the structure in conjunction with an analytical model of the bridge structure. Design longitudinal forces and stresses in piles were also evaluated. The primary observation was that a large amount of longitudinal force is transmitted to the trestle, but it is distributed to a large number of bents through many spans. Forces in individual bents are quite small as compared to the total applied force.