Application of acoustic emission measurements in the evaluation of prestressed cast in-between decks

A large number of concrete structures, that is built in the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, need to be re-evaluated. It should be judged whether their capacity is still sufficient for the increased traffic loads. Acoustic emission (AE) is a non-destructive technique that can possibly be used to get a better insight in the...

Shear or bending? Experimental results on large t-shaped prestressed conrete beams

Experimental results of four shear tests on two large prestressed concrete beams are compared to nonlinear analysis and design code calculations. The beams have a length of 12 m and a depth of 1.3 m and are reinforced with stirrups and pre-tensioning. The four tests consist of a single point load at a distance of 2.7d from the support. A priori...

Monitoring of transition zones in railways

Transitions between railway track on embankments or natural ground and fixed structures such as bridges and culverts often require substantial additional maintenance to preserve line, level and ride quality. This extra maintenance not only increases costs but also causes delays. Despite its importance for railway infrastructure owners, the...

Determination of track lateral resistance and train speed limits using tamping machine and numerical optimisation