Lessons Learned From Inspecting Steel Railway Bridges In Egypt

Railway infrastructures must be maintained safely and reliably not only for both owners and users, but also for generations to come. In Egypt, many of the Egyptian National Railway (ENR) bridges were built in the beginning of the last century. Defects and damage are now apparent and need appropriate rehabilitation planning. The purpose of the inspection is to prolong the structure’s life of the bridge. Deterioration signs once identified, appropriate measures are to be promptly taken. Based on the experience gained while inspecting a large number of major steel railway open timber floor bridge type, the present paper summarizes the common defects that arose from this inspection campaign. Many of these defects, if kept without intervention, will lead to structural deficiency or even functionality obsolete. The information derived from this inspection provided guidelines and practices for structural engineers that can be applicable to any particular truss bridge rehabilitation scheme. A proper rehabilitation scheme can extend the service life of any structure. The topics listed below are the hot points arrived at from this campaign carried out on over 75 bridges: Atmospheric corrosion and oxidization of steel elements; Fatigue problems; Bridge approach improvement; Defective connections and member’s eccentricity; Scour and abutment movement; and Defects of ancillary bridge elements: water drainage, damp proofing, lighting etc. The purpose of the performed inspection program is to establish a data base of the present status of the in-service bridges and those showing aging signs. Also to improve their durability and serviceability with minimum cost and time. In conclusion, effective inspections at appropriate frequencies are necessary to understand the level of risk and to identify and plan necessary maintenance and even replacement works, whenever needed.