Evaluation of the Influence of Installing Continuous Welded Rail on Existing Steel Bridges

The new installation of Continuous Welded Rail (CWR) on existing steel bridges is often restricted because of their limited steel bearing capacity of longitudinal axial forces exerted by CWR loads. On the other hand, the capacity is mainly based on design calculation which has not been verified actually. In this research, the actual behavior and performance of CWR load and the bearing capacity were evaluated by field measurements and laboratory experiments with a view to promoting CWR installation on existing steel bridges.