OA14 - BOWSTRING OF THE NEW RAILWAY LINE LUXEMBOURG-BETTEMBOURG – CONSTRUCTION AND SPECIAL DESIGN CHALLENGES FOR HANGERS

Abstract

The new railway line connecting Luxembourg and Bettembourg crosses the A3 highway at a steep angle (19.5°) with the bridge called OA14.

The designed bridge is a bowstring structure with a single span of 186.85 meters. The bridge deck consists of two lateral metal box girders acting as a chord. The deck is a transversal filler beam, with spherical voids and lightweight concrete to reduce the structure's weight.

The bridge features two inward-inclined arches at 9°, which are doubled and serve as trusses. This significantly increases the stiffness of the arch whilst keeping the silhouette elegant. The deck follows the curved track alignment, the arches remain straight. Two times 12 hangers connect the arches to the girders, they are made of CHS profiles of S450H quality. This article gives an overview of the structure and its construction. It then gives a more detailed insight in the design of the hangers, especially the hanger-girder connections.