Chenab Railway Bridge

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A PRESENTATION BY NILANJAN BAG
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• CONTENT
• BASIC INFORMATION
• IMPORTANT FACTS
• DESIGN OF BRIDGE
• GEOLOGY
• CONSTRUCTION
• STEEL AND CONCRETE DETAILS
• CONCLUSION

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• BASIC INFORMATIONS
• SITUATED IN REASI DISTRICT OF JAMMU KASHMIR
• DESIGN ARCH BRIDGE
• MATERIAL USED STEEL CONCRETE
• TOTAL LENGTH 1315 METER
• ARCH LENGTH 480
• LONGEST SPAN 467 METER
• ARCH SPAN 467 METER
• NUMBER OF SPANS 17
• HEIGHT 359 METER RIVER BED TO FORMATION

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• IMPORTANT FACTS
• OFFICIAL PROJECT NAME DESIGN CONSTRUCTION OF
  SPECIAL BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER CHENAB AT 50/800
  ON THE KATRA-LAOLE SECTION OF THE UDHAMPUR
  SRINAGAR BARAMULLA RAIL LINK PROJECT
• THE CLIENT KONKAN RAILWAY CORPORATION LTD,
  INDIA
• THE CONSTRUCTER AFCONS INFRASTRUCTURE LTD,
  INDIA
• ARCHITECT WSP IN FINLAND WITH SUBCONSULTANT
  LEONHARDT, ANDRA UND PARTNER, GERMANY
• BRIDGE DECK CARRIES TWO RAILWAY TRACKS AND DRDO
  MAKES IT WORLD FIRST BLAST-PROOF RAILWAY BRIDGE
• ITS HEIGHT, ALMOST 29 METER MORE THAN EIFFEL
  TOWER (330 METER), MAKES IT THE WORLD HIGHEST
  RAILWAY BRIDGE AND TOTAL COST IS AROUND 1486
  CRORE AFTER COMPLETION

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- AS MANY AS 3200 PEOPLE WORKED ON CONSTRUCTION
OF THIS CHALLENGING ICONIC BRIDGE TO MAKE IT ONE
OF A MARVEL OF INDIA
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• DESIGN OF BRIDGE
• THE DESIGN SPEED OF RAILWAY OS SET TO BE 100 KM/H
• WIND LOAD CORRESPONDS TO MAXIMUM WIND PRESSURE OF
  1500 PASCAL AND WIND SPEED UP TO 266 KMPH
• THE BRIDGE IS DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND EARTHQUAKE
  FORCES OF THE HIGHEST INTENSITY ZONE-V MAGNETUDE
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• THE DESIGN LIFE OF THE BRIDGE SHOULD BE 120 YEARS
• FATIGUE ASSESMENT HAS TO BE DONE AS PER BS5400
  PART 10
• THE SUPERSTRUCTURE IS A PLATE GIRDER WITH A
  CLOSED DECK, WHERE RAILS ARE CONNECTED
• THE CLOSED DECK KEEPS THE RAINWATER OUT AND
  PROVIDES MOSTLY DRY ENVIRONMENT BELOW THE DECK

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• GEOLOGY
• THE CHENAB BRIDGE IS LOCATED IN THE TRICKIEST
  SECTION OF THE JAMMUUDHAMPURSRINAGARBARAMULLA
  RAIL ROUTE, WHERE THE TYPICAL GEOLOGY CONSISTS OF
  YOUNG HIMALAYAN ROCK
• THE SITE COMPRISES OF SHIWALIKS AND PRETERTIARY
  ROCKS AND THE MAIN SUB-TYPE OF ROCKS COMPRISES OF
  DOLOMITE AND LIMESTONE
• SOME OF PIER LOCATIONS COMPRISE QUARTZITE AND
  SHALE ROCKS AND THERE IS NO SIGNIFICANT SHEAR
  ZONES OR CAVITIES IN BOTH THE ABUTMENTS
• TOP LAYERS OF THE ROCKS AT ABUTMENTS ARE HIGHLY
  FRACTURED AND REPRESENT A BLOCKY MASS
• HOWEVER, THE BOTTOM LAYERS OF ROCKS ARE STABLE
  AND STRONG ENOUGH FOR A GOOD FOUNDATION

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• CONSTRUCTION
• FIRSTLY, THE FOUNDATION AND SLOPE STABILIZATION
  WORKS ARE STARTED AND A TOTAL OF 18 PIERS WERE
  CONSTRUCTED
• AFTER ERECTION OF THE MAIN PIERS BY CABLE CRANE ,
  THE DECK IS LAUNCHED UP THE AXES OF SUPPORT S40
  AND S50
• THE DERRICK CRANE IS PLACED ON TOP OF THE DECK TO
  LOWER THE ARCH SEGMENTS FROM DECK LEVEL TO THE
  ERECTION FRONT OF THE ARCH
• THE ERECTION PROCESS OF THE DECK AND THE ARCH
  PROCEEDS SIMULTANEOUSLY UP TO A MAXIMUM CANTILEVR
  LENGTH OF 48 METER
• WHEN THE NEXT ARCH PIER SUPPORT WOULD BE REACHED,
  TEMPORARY CABLES SET UP TO SUPPORT CONSTRUCTED
  ARCH

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• STRUCTURAL PLAN OF THE CHENAB BRIDGE

• USE OF DERRICK AND CABLE CRANE IN ARCH
  CONSTRUCTION

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• AFTER THAT, THE NEW ARCH PIER IS CONSTRUCTED
  USING CABLE CRANES ON THE FREE END AND THIS
  PROCESS IS CONTINUED UNTILL THE LAST PIER OF ARCH
  IS CONSTRUCTED
• THE SUPERSTRUCTURE AND THE ARCH WILL BRIEFLY FORM
  A TRUSS GIRDER, CANTILEVERING OUT FROM ARCH
  ABUTMENT
• THE FINAL SEGMENT OF THE ARCH IS CONSTRUCTED
  USING A CABLE CRANE AND TWO HALVES OF THE ARCH IS
  ADJUSTED USING HYDRAULIC JACKS BEFORE THE FINAL
  CONNECTION
• FINALLY, THE TEMPORARY CABLES ARE REMOVED AND THE
  FINAL CONNECTIONS WILL BE MADE

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• STEEL CONCRETE DETAILS
• TEKLA SOFTWARE IS EMPLOYED FOR DETAILING USING
  STRUCTURAL STEEL SUITABLE FOR -20C TO 40C
• CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE REQUIRED 25000 TON OF
  STEEL 4000 TON OF REINFORCED STEEL AND TO
  ENHANCE SAFETY SECURITY, THE BRIDGE IS MADE OF
  63MM-THICK SPECIAL BLAST-PROOF STEEL
• TOTAL OF 46000m3 CONCRETE WAS REQUIRED AND THE
  MAIN CHORD MEMBERS WERE FILLED WITH SELF
  COMPACTING CONCRETE FOR ENHANCING OVERALL
  STIFFNESS AND ROBUSTNESS
• BOTH ENDS OF THE BRIDGE HAS BEEN CONNECTED WITH
  THE HELP OF HIGH STRENGTH FRICTION GRIP (HSFG)
  BOLTS AND IT IS MARKED AS GOLDEN JOINT
• EIGHT MILLION CUBIC METRES OF EXCAVATION WAS DONE
  AND THE BRIDGE WILL BE PAINTED WITH A SPECIAL
  CORROSION-RESISTANT PAINT, WHICH LASTS FOR 15
  YEARS

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• CONCLUSION
• THE BRIDGE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN ONE OF THE MOST
  COMPLICATED AND ISOLATED TERRAINS. ONE OF THE
  BIGGEST CHALLENGES INVOLVED WAS CONSTRUCTION OF
  BRIDGE WITHOUT OBSTRUCTING THE FLOW OF CHENAB
  RIVER.
• THE PROJECT WAS APPROVED IN
  DECEMBER 2003 AND AFTER 18 YEARS THE BRIDGE WAS
  COMPLETED AND INAUGURATED ON 13TH AUGUST 2022.
  LAYING OF RAILWAY TRACKS WAS STARTED IN FEBRUARY
  2023 AND THE BRIDGE ALONG WITH THE ENTIRE ROUTE
  IS EXPECTED TO BECOME OPERATIONAL BY THE JANUARY
  2024.
• THE BRIDGE WILL SURELY BOOST THE REGIONS
  INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL SECTORS BY ALLOWING
  ALLWEATHER CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN THE VALLY AND
  REST OF INDIA.

REFERENCE 1. theconstructor.org
2. seminarsonly.com
3. wsp.com