Targeting heavier freights and transporting passengers with higher speeds became the strategic railway development during the past decades significantly increasing interests on railway networks. Among different components of a railway network, bridges constitute a major portion imposing considerable construction and maintenance costs. On the other hand, heavier axle loads and higher trains speeds may cause resonance occurrence on bridges; which consequently limits operational train speed and lines. Therefore, satisfaction of new expectations requires conducting a large number of dynamic assessments/analyses on bridges, especially on existing ones. Evidently, such assessments need detailed information, expert engineers and consuming considerable computational costs. In order to save the computational efforts and decreasing required amount of expertise in preliminary evaluation of dynamic responses, predictive models using artificial neural network (ANN) are proposed in this study. In this regard, a previously developed closed-form solution method (based on solving a series of moving force) was adopted to calculate the dynamic responses (maximum deck deflection and maximum vertical deck acceleration) of randomly generated bridges. Basic variables in generation of random bridges were extracted both from literature and geometrical properties of existing bridges in Sweden. Different ANN architectures including number of inputs and neurons were considered to train the most accurate and computationally cost-effective mode. Then, the most efficient model was selected by comparing their performance using absolute error (ERR), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and coefficient of determination (R2). The obtained results revealed that the ANN model can acceptably predict the dynamic responses. The proposed model presents Err of about 11.1% and 9.9% for prediction of maximum acceleration and maximum deflection, respectively. Furthermore, its R2 for maximum acceleration and maximum deflection predictions equal to 0.982 and 0.998, respectively. And its RMSE is 0.309 and 1.51E-04 for predicting the maximum acceleration and maximum deflection prediction, respectively. Finally, sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate the importance of each input variable on the outcomes. It was noted that the span length of the bridge and speed of the train are the most influential parameters.

Understanding how different parameters affect the dynamic response of high-speed railway bridges is crucial to selecting an efficient structural form. Despite existing numerous publications within this field, only few address the importance of torsional deformations. The main objective of this thesis is to investigate the influence of the torsional resistance of the deck on the dynamic response of an existing bridge. Ulla River Viaduct is presented as a case study, allowing to analyse some aspects of its design and what their alteration entails. To this end, 6 different 3D FE models are compared, 5 of which show a modification from the original configuration. In addition, several positions of the train are considered to contrast the effects when the torsional modes are excited. The performed dynamic calculations are based on the implicit direct integration procedure. The analysis of the case study demonstrates the benefit of closing the torsional circuit of the deck. The results also evidence the need of including torsional effects in its dynamic assessment when low values of torsional rigidity are considered. All this is not easy when simplified 2D or 3D beam models are used. As a final remark, the original design of the Ulla River Viaduct is found highly efficient from a dynamical point of view.

Este trabalho apresenta o estudo dos efeitos dinâmicos de duas pontes ferroviárias para trens de carga pesada e trens de alta velocidade considerando a interação veículo-estrutura. O estudo centrou-se principalmente no desenvolvimento de uma metodologia iterativa para a simulação do fenômeno de interação. Em seguida, a metodologia desenvolvida foi utilizada para analisar a ponte Suaçuí (Brasil) e a ponte Antuã (Portugal), e para realizar um estudo paramétrico para avaliar o comportamento não linear da interface via-estrutura de algumas tipologias de pontes ferroviárias. A fim de entender os princípios básicos que governam a resposta dinâmica do sistema veículo-estrutura, foi realizada uma revisão das formulações analíticas e os conceitos básicos de interação veículo-estrutura. A partir das formulações analíticas desenvolveu-se uma metodologia para a resolução de problemas dinâmicos de interação, aproveitando as ferramentas de modelagem do programa ABAQUS por meio do programa MATLAB. A validação do aplicativo foi realizada comparando as respostas de exemplos simples analisados com programas de referência. A principal vantagem desta metodologia é a flexibilidade na seleção dos métodos de resolução do problema dinâmico, permitindo inclusive a incorporação de não linearidades tanto no modelo do veículo quanto da ponte. Utilizando a capacidade de simulação do aplicativo para problemas não lineares foi realizado um estudo paramétrico para verificar os parâmetros que mais influenciam no comportamento não linear da interface via-estrutura e uma aplicação prática para avaliar o desempenho de algumas tipologias de pontes ferroviárias. Para a análise dinâmica da ponte Suaçuí e Antuã desenvolveram-se modelos numéricos tridimensionais de elementos finitos no programa ABAQUS. As propriedades dos materiais das pontes, assim como as propriedades dinâmicas dos veículos foram determinadas a partir de técnicas de calibração numéricas, experimentais e da literatura. A calibração dos modelos numéricos foi realizada utilizando metodologias iterativas baseadas em técnicas de otimização, tais como os algoritmos genéticos. Na falta de dados experimentais das irregularidades, estas foram geradas a partir de funções de densidade espectral de potência. A validação dos modelos numéricos da ponte envolveu a comparação dos resultados numéricos, obtidos da análise de interação, e os resultados experimentais, encontrados nos ensaios dinâmicos sob ação de tráfego. Os resultados da comparação mostraram que os modelos numéricos conseguem reproduzir com boa aproximação as respostas medidas experimentalmente. Finalmente, são realizadas simulações das pontes sob ação de tráfego para diferentes velocidades de circulação dos veículos, a fim de verificar a segurança estrutural da ponte e da via, além do conforto dos passageiros. / This research presents the study of the dynamic effects of two railway bridges for heavy axle load trains and high speed trains considering the vehicle-structure interaction. The study was mainly focused on the development of an iterative method for simulating the interaction phenomenon. The developed methodology was used to investigate the Suaçuí railway bridge (Brazil) and the Antuã railway bridge (Portugal), and to carry out a parametric study to evaluate the non-linear behavior of the trackstructure interface of some typologies of railway bridges. In order to understand the basic principles that govern the dynamic response of the vehicle-structure system, a review of the analytical formulations and the basics of the vehicle-structure interaction were performed. Based on the analytical formulations a methodology for solving dynamic interaction problems was developed, taking advantage of modeling tools of the ABAQUS software managed from MATLAB. The validation of the methodology was carried out by comparing responses of simple examples analyzed with reference programs. The main advantage of this methodology is the flexibility in the selection of the methods for solving the dynamic problem, even allowing the incorporation of nonlinearities in the vehicle and bridge model. Using the capability of the developed program for modeling nonlinear problems it was carried out a parametric study to determine the parameters that influence in the non-linear behavior of the track-structure interface and a practical application to evaluate the performance of some typologies of railway bridges. For dynamic analysis of the Suaçuí and Antuã railway bridge threedimensional numerical finite element models in ABAQUS program were developed. Material properties of the bridges, as well as the dynamic properties of the vehicles were determined through numerical and experimental calibration techniques and from the literature. The calibration of numerical models was performed using iterative methodologies based on optimization techniques, such as genetic algorithms. In absence of experimental data irregularities of the Suaçuí bridge, these were generated using spectral density functions. The validation of numerical models of the bridges involved the comparison of numerical results obtained from the interaction analysis with experimental results obtained from dynamic tests under traffic loads. The results of comparison showed that the numerical models were capable to reproduce with good accuracy the responses experimentally measured. Finally simulations of the bridges under traffic loads were performed for different vehicle speeds in order to evaluate the structural and track safety and passenger comfort.

<p>Föreliggande avhandling omfattar en fallstudie av utmattningsrisken för järnvägsbroarna mellan Stockholm Central och Söder Mälarstrand. Ett stort antal utmattningssprickor i broarna över Söderström och Söder Mälarstrand har sedan länge varit kända. I samband med en bärighetsutredning av sträckan har ett stort antal anslutningspunkter i samtliga broar identifierats som kritiska avseende utmattningsrisk. Sträckan är den mest trafikerade i Sverige och de förenklade beräkningsmetoder som anges i Banverkets föreskrift för bärighetsberäkningar är i vissa fall inte tillämpliga.</p><p>De formella bärighetsberäkningarna har visat på flerfaldiga överskridanden i utnyttjandegrad gällande utmattning. I de punkter som beräkningarna visar störst risk för utmattning har inga sprickor påträffats, trots omfattande förbandsbesiktningar. Beräkningarna baseras på typiserade spänningskollektiv och givet antal spännings­växlingar, oberoende av den aktuella trafikmängden. Enligt bärighetsnormen ges möjlighet att beakta den verkliga trafikmängden baserat på historiskt bruttotonnage och typiserade trafiklaster. Dessa beräkningar har utförts och visar på ännu större risk för utmattning, jämfört med den förenklade metoden. I syfte att på ett ännu mer nyanserat sätt uppskatta utmattningsrisken har en metod använts, baserat på uppskattning av den faktiska trafikmängden och dess fördelningar. Beräkningarna baseras på trafikdata tillgänglig från Banverket. Metoden är tillämplig på andra järnvägsbroar på andra sträckor.</p><p>Utöver teoretiska beräkningar har töjningsmätningar utförts. Under 2006 utförde dåvarande Carl Bro AB töjningsmätningar på bro över Söder Mälarstrand och viadukt söder om Söder Mälarstrand, avseende några enskilda tågöverfarter. Under 2008 utförde KTH Brobyggnad omfattande töjningsmätningar på bro över Söderström, avseende all trafik under en månads tid.</p> / <p>The present thesis comprises a case study of the risk of fatigue of the railway bridges chaining between Stockholm Central Station and the district Söder Mälarstrand. A large number of fatigue-related cracks in the bridges at Söderström and Söder Mälarstrand have been known for a long time. During a capacity assessment of the current bridges, a large number of connections have been identified as critical concerning fatigue resistance. The route is the most frequent in all of Sweden and the simplified methods of fatigue assessment defined by Banverket may not always be applicable.</p><p>A conventional capacity assessment has shown numerous exceeds in fatigue resistance, using the stated safety margins. No fatigue cracks have been identified at the locations showing the largest theoretical risk of fatigue, in spite of extensive investigations. The conventional calculations are based on a uniform stress collective and a fixed number of stress cycles, independent of the actual traffic volume. According to the regulations stated by Banverket, the assessment may optionally be performed using historical data of the gross tonnage and standardised traffic loading. Such calculations have been undertaken and show even greater risk of fatigue, compared to the conventional assessment. To estimate the risk of fatigue in more detail, a method has been used, based on estimations of the real traffic volume and its distributions. The analysis is based on available data of the traffic volume and may be applied to other railway bridges on other locations.</p><p>Besides theoretical analyses, field measurements have been performed. In 2006, former Carl Bro AB carried out strain gauge measurements on the bridge passing Söder Mälarstrand and the viaduct south of Söder Mälarstrand. The measurements comprised a small amount of individual train passages. During 2008, the division of Structural Design and Bridges at KTH performed an extensive field measurement programme on the bridge passing Söderström. Continuous measurements collecting data of all traffic during a period of one month was performed.</p>

Este trabalho apresenta o estudo dos efeitos dinâmicos de duas pontes ferroviárias para trens de carga pesada e trens de alta velocidade considerando a interação veículo-estrutura. O estudo centrou-se principalmente no desenvolvimento de uma metodologia iterativa para a simulação do fenômeno de interação. Em seguida, a metodologia desenvolvida foi utilizada para analisar a ponte Suaçuí (Brasil) e a ponte Antuã (Portugal), e para realizar um estudo paramétrico para avaliar o comportamento não linear da interface via-estrutura de algumas tipologias de pontes ferroviárias. A fim de entender os princípios básicos que governam a resposta dinâmica do sistema veículo-estrutura, foi realizada uma revisão das formulações analíticas e os conceitos básicos de interação veículo-estrutura. A partir das formulações analíticas desenvolveu-se uma metodologia para a resolução de problemas dinâmicos de interação, aproveitando as ferramentas de modelagem do programa ABAQUS por meio do programa MATLAB. A validação do aplicativo foi realizada comparando as respostas de exemplos simples analisados com programas de referência. A principal vantagem desta metodologia é a flexibilidade na seleção dos métodos de resolução do problema dinâmico, permitindo inclusive a incorporação de não linearidades tanto no modelo do veículo quanto da ponte. Utilizando a capacidade de simulação do aplicativo para problemas não lineares foi realizado um estudo paramétrico para verificar os parâmetros que mais influenciam no comportamento não linear da interface via-estrutura e uma aplicação prática para avaliar o desempenho de algumas tipologias de pontes ferroviárias. Para a análise dinâmica da ponte Suaçuí e Antuã desenvolveram-se modelos numéricos tridimensionais de elementos finitos no programa ABAQUS. As propriedades dos materiais das pontes, assim como as propriedades dinâmicas dos veículos foram determinadas a partir de técnicas de calibração numéricas, experimentais e da literatura. A calibração dos modelos numéricos foi realizada utilizando metodologias iterativas baseadas em técnicas de otimização, tais como os algoritmos genéticos. Na falta de dados experimentais das irregularidades, estas foram geradas a partir de funções de densidade espectral de potência. A validação dos modelos numéricos da ponte envolveu a comparação dos resultados numéricos, obtidos da análise de interação, e os resultados experimentais, encontrados nos ensaios dinâmicos sob ação de tráfego. Os resultados da comparação mostraram que os modelos numéricos conseguem reproduzir com boa aproximação as respostas medidas experimentalmente. Finalmente, são realizadas simulações das pontes sob ação de tráfego para diferentes velocidades de circulação dos veículos, a fim de verificar a segurança estrutural da ponte e da via, além do conforto dos passageiros. / This research presents the study of the dynamic effects of two railway bridges for heavy axle load trains and high speed trains considering the vehicle-structure interaction. The study was mainly focused on the development of an iterative method for simulating the interaction phenomenon. The developed methodology was used to investigate the Suaçuí railway bridge (Brazil) and the Antuã railway bridge (Portugal), and to carry out a parametric study to evaluate the non-linear behavior of the trackstructure interface of some typologies of railway bridges. In order to understand the basic principles that govern the dynamic response of the vehicle-structure system, a review of the analytical formulations and the basics of the vehicle-structure interaction were performed. Based on the analytical formulations a methodology for solving dynamic interaction problems was developed, taking advantage of modeling tools of the ABAQUS software managed from MATLAB. The validation of the methodology was carried out by comparing responses of simple examples analyzed with reference programs. The main advantage of this methodology is the flexibility in the selection of the methods for solving the dynamic problem, even allowing the incorporation of nonlinearities in the vehicle and bridge model. Using the capability of the developed program for modeling nonlinear problems it was carried out a parametric study to determine the parameters that influence in the non-linear behavior of the track-structure interface and a practical application to evaluate the performance of some typologies of railway bridges. For dynamic analysis of the Suaçuí and Antuã railway bridge threedimensional numerical finite element models in ABAQUS program were developed. Material properties of the bridges, as well as the dynamic properties of the vehicles were determined through numerical and experimental calibration techniques and from the literature. The calibration of numerical models was performed using iterative methodologies based on optimization techniques, such as genetic algorithms. In absence of experimental data irregularities of the Suaçuí bridge, these were generated using spectral density functions. The validation of numerical models of the bridges involved the comparison of numerical results obtained from the interaction analysis with experimental results obtained from dynamic tests under traffic loads. The results of comparison showed that the numerical models were capable to reproduce with good accuracy the responses experimentally measured. Finally simulations of the bridges under traffic loads were performed for different vehicle speeds in order to evaluate the structural and track safety and passenger comfort.

Le patrimoine ferroviaire français comporte de nombreux ponts métalliques, principalement construits au cours de la seconde moitié du XIXème siècle. Ces ouvrages d'art sont donc en service depuis plus d’un siècle et nécessitent une politique de maintenance adaptée. En collaboration avec SNCF Réseau, cette thèse de doctorat apporte des éléments de compréhension sur le comportement mécanique des assemblages rivetés à chaud sous sollicitations monotones et cycliques. Une stratégie expérimentale a été mise en oeuvre afin d'identifier les mécanismes de ruine des assemblages rivetés. Dans un premier temps, le matériau objet de cette étude, un fer puddlé, a été extrait d'éléments provenant du pont sur l'Adour à Bayonne (1864-2013). Ce matériau a été notamment caractérisé sous chargements monotones et cycliques ; sa fragilité, son anisotropie et son comportement dispersif ont été mis en évidence et analysés. Des outils numériques ont été développés pour l’étude microscopique de cette famille de matériaux. Des éprouvettes rivetées de type détail constructif ont par la suite été conçues, fabriquées et testées sous chargements monotones et cycliques. Un scénario précis du fonctionnement et de ruine d'un assemblage mono-rivet en double recouvrement a pu être identifié. Pour cela, les influences des caractéristiques matériau, des concentrations de contraintes, du cisaillement du rivet et de l'effort de serrage ont été étudiées. Les résultats de ce travail, comparés à ceux de la littérature et aux standards de dimensionnement des structures métalliques, montrent la complémentarité d'une étude à plusieurs échelles (comportement matériau et étude locale du fonctionnement des assemblages) dans le but de comprendre et estimer le comportement des structures rivetées anciennes. / Numerous metallic bridges can be found in the French railway heritage. Since a majority of these structures was built during the second half of the 19th century, they have been in service for over a hundred years and need an adapted maintenance policy.These doctoral thesis, done in collaboration with SNCF Réseau, improves the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of hot riveted assemblies under monotonic and cyclic loadings. An experimental strategy was proposed and carried out in order to identify the failure mechanisms of riveted assemblies. First, the studied material, a puddled iron, was obtained from recovered elements from the bridge over the Adour river in Bayonne (1864-2013). Mechanical testing and characterisation was performed under monotonic and cyclic loadings. Puddled iron’s brittle, anisotropic and scattered behaviour was observed and analysed. In-house software applications were developed in order to study this kind of material. Additionally, hot riveted specimens (constructional details) were designed, manufactured and tested under monotonic and cyclic loadings. A precise working (and failure) scenario of the double shear mono-rivet assembly was identified. The influence of the material’s behaviour, stress concentrators, shearing of the rivet and clamping force of the rivet were studied. The results obtained during these research works, compared to the ones found in academic literature as well as construction norms for metallic structures, showed the importance and complementarity of a multi-scale approach (material behaviour and local study of assemblies) in order to understand and assess the behaviour of ancient riveted structures.

In this thesis the effect of axle load spreading through ballast and the effect of support stiffness has been investigated on short span railway bridges. Two types of bridges, simply supported bridges and bridges with integrated backwalls, have been modeled with 2D beam elements. When analyzing the load spreading effect, two types of load shapes have been considered. The first one is the load shape proposed in Eurocode where the axle load is modeled with three point loads where 50% of the axle load acts on the sleeper located underneath the wheel and 25% on the two adjacent sleepers, respectively. Therefrom the loads are further distributed through the sleepers and the ballast. The second load shape that has been studied is a triangular load shape. These two load shapes have been modeled both with different numbers of point loads and as distributed line loads to see how the dynamic response of the bridges is affected and thereby find what level of accuracy that is required to capture the full effect of the load spreading. For the bridges with integrated backwalls the supports were also modeled as springs with varying stiffness to see how the dynamic response was affected. The response was measured in terms of vertical acceleration and bending moment. From the simulations the conclusion can be drawn that the triangular load shape gives significantly lower bridge responses than the Eurocode load shape. It is further found that modeling the axle loads with point loads can give spurious acceleration peaks, which in the case of bridges with integrated backwalls often are critical. For these bridges it is necessary to enhance the accuracy of the load spread, either by increasing the number of point loads or using a distributed line load. From the spring support simulations, it can be seen that support stiffness has great influence on the dynamic response of bridges with integrated backwalls. For certain values the response is increased, whereas for other values a large reduction is obtained.

When a train enters a bridge, passenger sitting inside will feel a sudden bump in the track, which not only affect the riding comfort of the passengers but also put a dynamic impact on the bridge structure. Due to this impact force, we have very serious maintenance problems in the track close to the bridge structure. This sudden bump is produced when train travelling on the track suddenly hit by a very stiff medium like bridge structure. In order to reduce this effect, transition zones are introduced before the bridge so that the change in stiffness will occur gradually without producing any bump.   This master thesis examine the effect of track stiffness on the bridge dynamic response under different train speeds from 150 to 350 km/h with interval 5 km/h and also estimate the minimum length of transition zones require to reduce the effect of change in stiffness on the bridge. Study also gives us some guidelines about the choice of loading model of the train, location of maximum vertical acceleration, effect of ballast model on the results and minimum length of transition zone needs to include in the bridge-track FE-model, for dynamic analysis of the concrete bridges. To carry out this research MATLAB is used to produce an input file for the ABAQUS FEM program. ABAQUS will first read this file, model the bridge and then analysis the bridge. MATLAB will again read the result file, process the result data and plot the necessary graphs.   The Swedish X2000 train is used for this study, which has been modeled with two different methods: moving load model and sprung mass model, in order to see the difference in results. For verification of the MATLAB-ABAQUS model, a 42m long bridge is analysed and results are compared with known results. In this study, concrete simply supported bridges with spans of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 m have been analysed.

In response to the planned increase in operational speeds and axle loads of passengertrains that may lead to resonance-induced excessive vibrations in railway bridges,recent studies examined the reliability of bridges concerning train running safety andpassenger comfort limit states. In this respect, valuable information regarding theimportance of input variables can be obtained by conducting Sensitivity Analysis (SA).For instance, the determination of unimportant variables (where they can be treated asconstant) reduces the computational time, which is usually very high for probabilisticsimulations. In some of the previous studies, only deterministic SA has beenperformed. This thesis follows a stochastic approach using Global Sensitivity Analysis(GSA) methods. The considered performance functions are vertical acceleration anddeflection of single track ballasted simply supported reinforced concrete bridges.To reduce the computational time, available semi-analytical solution of a planarbeam under the passage of a series of moving loads is employed. To simulatethe bridge behaviour realistically, simplified methods to account for rail irregularityamplification, train-bridge interactions, and axle load redistribution were adopted.The considered random variables are train modal properties, number of train coaches,bogie spacing, axle spacing and loads, bridge mass, flexural stiffness and damping,and rail amplification factor. The analyses were carried out for a selected set of bridgelengths [10-30]m and a range of train speeds [100-400] km/hr. The study findingsshow that, in both acceleration and displacement, the dynamic response of the bridgeis sensitive to randomness in bridge mass, moment of inertia, coach length, and axleloads. Furthermore, the rail amplification factor and Young’s modulus are primarilyimportant for acceleration and displacement, respectively.

Föreliggande avhandling omfattar en fallstudie av utmattningsrisken för järnvägsbroarna mellan Stockholm Central och Söder Mälarstrand. Ett stort antal utmattningssprickor i broarna över Söderström och Söder Mälarstrand har sedan länge varit kända. I samband med en bärighetsutredning av sträckan har ett stort antal anslutningspunkter i samtliga broar identifierats som kritiska avseende utmattningsrisk. Sträckan är den mest trafikerade i Sverige och de förenklade beräkningsmetoder som anges i Banverkets föreskrift för bärighetsberäkningar är i vissa fall inte tillämpliga. De formella bärighetsberäkningarna har visat på flerfaldiga överskridanden i utnyttjandegrad gällande utmattning. I de punkter som beräkningarna visar störst risk för utmattning har inga sprickor påträffats, trots omfattande förbandsbesiktningar. Beräkningarna baseras på typiserade spänningskollektiv och givet antal spännings­växlingar, oberoende av den aktuella trafikmängden. Enligt bärighetsnormen ges möjlighet att beakta den verkliga trafikmängden baserat på historiskt bruttotonnage och typiserade trafiklaster. Dessa beräkningar har utförts och visar på ännu större risk för utmattning, jämfört med den förenklade metoden. I syfte att på ett ännu mer nyanserat sätt uppskatta utmattningsrisken har en metod använts, baserat på uppskattning av den faktiska trafikmängden och dess fördelningar. Beräkningarna baseras på trafikdata tillgänglig från Banverket. Metoden är tillämplig på andra järnvägsbroar på andra sträckor. Utöver teoretiska beräkningar har töjningsmätningar utförts. Under 2006 utförde dåvarande Carl Bro AB töjningsmätningar på bro över Söder Mälarstrand och viadukt söder om Söder Mälarstrand, avseende några enskilda tågöverfarter. Under 2008 utförde KTH Brobyggnad omfattande töjningsmätningar på bro över Söderström, avseende all trafik under en månads tid. / The present thesis comprises a case study of the risk of fatigue of the railway bridges chaining between Stockholm Central Station and the district Söder Mälarstrand. A large number of fatigue-related cracks in the bridges at Söderström and Söder Mälarstrand have been known for a long time. During a capacity assessment of the current bridges, a large number of connections have been identified as critical concerning fatigue resistance. The route is the most frequent in all of Sweden and the simplified methods of fatigue assessment defined by Banverket may not always be applicable. A conventional capacity assessment has shown numerous exceeds in fatigue resistance, using the stated safety margins. No fatigue cracks have been identified at the locations showing the largest theoretical risk of fatigue, in spite of extensive investigations. The conventional calculations are based on a uniform stress collective and a fixed number of stress cycles, independent of the actual traffic volume. According to the regulations stated by Banverket, the assessment may optionally be performed using historical data of the gross tonnage and standardised traffic loading. Such calculations have been undertaken and show even greater risk of fatigue, compared to the conventional assessment. To estimate the risk of fatigue in more detail, a method has been used, based on estimations of the real traffic volume and its distributions. The analysis is based on available data of the traffic volume and may be applied to other railway bridges on other locations. Besides theoretical analyses, field measurements have been performed. In 2006, former Carl Bro AB carried out strain gauge measurements on the bridge passing Söder Mälarstrand and the viaduct south of Söder Mälarstrand. The measurements comprised a small amount of individual train passages. During 2008, the division of Structural Design and Bridges at KTH performed an extensive field measurement programme on the bridge passing Söderström. Continuous measurements collecting data of all traffic during a period of one month was performed.