DESTination RAIL

            Calibration of the Finite Element model and calculation of the actual dynamics resulted in a significant decrease in the calculated failure probability of the Boyne viaduct.
      
      

Joe Kelly

Director

joe.kelly@rod.ie

Client

European Union

Market

Research

Summary

Roughan & O’Donovan Innovative Solutions (ROD-IS) participated in this EU-funded (Horizon 2020) project aimed at developing new techniques for identifying, analysing and remediating critical rail infrastructure.

Solution

We used our expertise in probabilistic analysis and Finite Element (FE) modelling to optimise a Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) strategy for the Boyne viaduct, an 85 year-old steel truss railway bridge.

Challenge

Calculating the probability of fatigue failure over the entire design life of a structure, based on just one month of SHM data, presented the key challenge.