Dynamic behaviour of integral abutment bridge transition under moving train loads

Transition zones, such as bridge approaches, are discontinuities along a railway line that are highly prone to differential movement due to a rapid variation of support conditions along the track. The concrete approach slabs are often provided before and after the bridges to reduce this differential movement and provide a gradual variation in track stiffness. This paper provides insights into the dynamic behaviour of an integral abutment railway bridge (IARB) transition zone consisting of approach slab under moving train loads using finite element (FE) analyses. Firstly, the FE model is successfully validated against the published field data. Subsequently, the validated model is employed to investigate the influence of parameters such as approach slab geometry (length, thickness, inclination, and shape), backfill soil type, direction of train movement and train speed. Results show that the behaviour of IARB is sensitive to the length of the approach slab, backfill soil type and train speed. The findings of this study enhance the current understanding of the behaviour of IARBs subjected to moving train loading and identify the important parameters that influence their performance.