STEEL RAILWAY BRIDGES IN EGYPT

عباس, حسين

STEEL RAILWAY BRIDGES IN EGYPT

Document Type : Scientific and technological

Author

حسين عباس

Professor– Faculty of Engineering, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Steel bridges generally constitute an important part of the railway transportation network in Egypt. They play a vital role in offering transportation services for a wide range of users. Most of the railway steel bridges in the country have been in service for over 50 years. During their service life, bridges may undergo abnormal events such as accidents, fire, earthquakes, deterioration, increased axle loads, and terrorist attacks. Performance of bridges during such events affects highly the human and economic causalities in developing countries. Steel bridges may be subjected to forces which were not considered during the original design. In addition, the performance of steel bridges under normal or extreme events is expected to change with time due to aging and deterioration of material. Improving the resilience of steel bridges involves many technical, environmental, and economic aspects. Periodic maintenance and major repair activities are mandatory to sustain a satisfactory performance that preserves public safety and extends the service life. In this study, assessment procedures for a group of railway steel bridges in Egypt are reviewed and explored. Observations during the study are highlighted and discussed. Resilience of the studied bridges is judged from previous observations and accidents throughout the service life of the considered bridges. The study is part of the efforts made to enhance the transportation sector in Egypt.

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