×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

RR Bridge Stiffeners

RR Bridge Stiffeners

RR Bridge Stiffeners

(OP)
I am designing a Through Girder RR Bridge for BNSF and I need help with the intermediate stiffener.

I am bolting a WT stiffener to the web for the intermediate stiffeners, but I can't find anything in the AREMA code to give me a criteria for designing the bolted connection. (AISC had equation 1.10-4 to give a shear flow for the connection.)

I also wondered if I had to stagger the bolt pattern or can I provide a uniform pattern of two parallel rows of bolts?

I would appreciate any help offfered.

RE: RR Bridge Stiffeners

Wow!  I was thinking of posting a simlar question.  I’m working on thru girder bridges for CN RR and CSX RR.

CN does not allow welding of the intermediate stiffeners, except at the top for connection of the stiffener to the top flange of the thru girder.  CN has some standard drawings for the bolted connection, but not much detail.  All their drawing says in regard to the connection is to use a 4” max bolt spacing vertically.   

RE: RR Bridge Stiffeners

Uniform bolt pattern can be equal in theory and superior in constructibility for drilling and aligning plates/girders.

RE: RR Bridge Stiffeners

Type IV – I talked to a senior engineer in my office.  We could not find anything in AREMA that covers this.  He recommended using an equation in the AASHTO Standard Specs (I don’t have the number right now as I’m at home) which is used to size the area of intermediate stiffeners and is based on a critical load caused by the tension field action.  I’m going to use this load to check the connection design.  I am almost certain though that the 4” minimum spacing required by CN RR is going to govern by far.

By the way, I’m using a welded “T” section with one line of bolts on either side of the stiffener.  

RE: RR Bridge Stiffeners

(OP)
Thanks MICHST.  I appreciate your looking into it.  I am checking with another source too and I will post anything I learn.

Keep up the good work!

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources