ABSTRACT
Knowledge of the internal forces is of vital importance both for the prediction of the remaining lifetime of steel bridges and for the optimization of structural elements in terms of life cycle cost. To evaluate the degradation of a tied arch bridge detailed information about the predicted load history is necessary. There-fore, a detailed finite element model is established and simulations of train crossings are carried out for operational trains that are representative for common life loads according to EN 1991–2 (EC1–2). The resulting dia-grams show load lines for those train crossings and will be used for developing load cycles to optimize the design of the hanger connections with regard to fatigue failure.
