DESIGN OF CHENAB BRIDGE IN INDIA

🔷 1. Project Planning and Design Team

●​ The project was planned by the WSP team from Finland.​

●​ Curve design was developed with support from sub-consultant Leonhardt.​

🔷 2. Design Codes and Standards

●​ The bridge follows:​

○​ Indian Railway Standards (IRS)​

○​ IRC (Indian Roads Congress) codes​

○​ IS (Indian Standards)​

●​ The main reference code for design and construction is BS:5400 (British Standard).​
🔷 3. Key Design Parameters
●​ Design speed for trains on the bridge: 100 km/h​

●​ Design life of the bridge: 120 years​

●​ Fatigue analysis (checking how the bridge resists repeated stress over time) is done
per BS:5400 Part 10.​

●​ Structural detailing is created using the latest TEKLA software.​

🔷 4. Environmental and Loading Considerations

●​ The Chenab River valley under the bridge is subject to strong wind pressures that
affect stability.​

●​ The bridge is designed to handle:​

○​ Standard railway loads​

○​ Special impact loads specified by Indian Railways​

○​ Seismic forces (earthquake risks in the area are also addressed)​

🔷 5. Wind Load and Testing

●​ A Norwegian power technology research center conducted:​

○​ Wind tunnel tests using physical models of the site​

○​ Studies on wind speed, static force coefficients, and gust impact​

●​ The test results are used to:​

○​ Calculate equivalent static wind loads​

 ○​ Inform the final structural analysis​

🔷 6. Wind Design Criteria

●​ Maximum wind pressure considered: 1500 Pascals (Pa)​

●​ Bridge is built to resist wind speeds up to 260 km/h​

●​ Wind loading is the controlling factor in the arch design​

🔷 7. Structural Design Philosophy

●​ The bridge design follows the Limit State Method (as per BS codes), which:​

○​ Ensures safety under extreme conditions like heavy loading and earthquakes​

○​ Focuses on both strength and serviceability​

🔷 8. Rail Track and Distortion Considerations

●​ Long Welded Rails (LWR) will be laid on the bridge:​

○​ These require careful force calculations (due to thermal expansion/contraction)​

○​ Calculations follow UIC 774-3R rules​

●​ Bridge distortion limits (bending/twisting) are checked using:​

○​ UIC 776-2R and UIC 776-3R standards​

○​ To ensure passenger comfort and safety

🔷 9. Arch bridges and how they work:

The arch is used to help carry both dead load (the bridge's own weight) and live load (like
trains).​
These loads push downward due to gravity.

In an arch bridge, this downward force gets spread out to the ends of the arch — called
abutments (the strong supports at the bottom ends).​
Because the bridge is not moving, the abutments push back with equal force to hold
everything up.

🔷 10. Bridge layout and main structure:

●​ The bridge will have 17 spans total.​

●​ The main arch crossing the Chenab River is 469 meters long.​

●​ On both sides, there will be viaducts (bridge sections connecting to the main span).​

●​ The main span also includes two 36-meter approach spans.​

🔷 11. Arch design and materials:

●​ The main span is a two-ribbed arch (it has two main curved steel ribs).​

●​ The arch is made from steel trusses, which are filled with concrete inside sealed steel
box sections — this improves strength and reduces vibrations.​

●​ The arch is supported by two large steel towers (arches):​

○​ Each tower is 130 meters long and 100 meters high.​

○​ Cables connect the arch to these towers for extra support.​

🔷 12. Design features to resist wind and improve strength:

●​ The steel used in the arch and piers is shaped to reduce wind resistance.​
 ●​ The main horizontal and diagonal members are closed box sections (flat shapes filled
with concrete).​

●​ Other smaller parts are kept circular to make their connections simpler.​

●​ Concrete filling adds:​

○​ Strength​

○​ Stability​

○​ Better resistance to wind vibrations (called damping)​

🔷 13. Supports and joints:

●​ The arch rests on tall steel piers, some as high as 120 meters.​

●​ There are expansion joints at both abutments and at a pier called S70 — this allows
movement due to temperature or load.​

●​ At S70, the deck height changes, marking the transition between the main arch span
and the approach bridge.​

●​ The center of the arch is the point of longitudinal fixity — meaning it's the most stable
point where forces are balanced and movement is minimal.​

🔷 14. Deck structure and launching:

●​ The bridge deck is a closed steel box (plate girder) — trains run on top of this.​

●​ The closed deck prevents water from getting inside, keeping the space below dry.​

●​ Wind noses are added to the deck to help deflect wind safely in the arch section.​

●​ For the first time in Indian Railways, the End Launching Method was used to build
the curved viaduct — where the bridge is pushed out from one end during construction.​
🔷 15. Quality control:
●​ A NABL-accredited lab was set up right at the site.​

●​ This lab checks the quality of welds (important for safety and strength) during
construction.

🔷 16. Bridge Construction Overview:

The bridge uses a large central arch and access viaducts (approach spans) on both sides.

●​ The main arch is a two-ribbed steel arch made of steel trusses.​

●​ The platforms (temporary supports) for assembling this arch are built on-site.​

●​ There are a total of 18 piers (vertical supports):​

○​ 5 piers for the viaducts are made of steel​

○​ 13 piers are made of concrete​

🔷 17. Steel Fabrication and On-Site Workshops:

●​ Steel parts of the bridge are manufactured in mountain workshops built just for this
project.​

●​ 4 workshops and nearby paint shops were set up on both sides of the valley.​

●​ Most steel materials arrive as flat steel sheets, which are then cut and assembled on
site.​

●​ Only small ready-made profiles are delivered directly.​

●​ Electricity is generated on-site, and water is brought in from further up the

mountains.​

🔷 18. Materials and Equipment:

 ●​ Around 25,000 tons of steel will be used.​

●​ Most of this steel will go into the main arch section.​

●​ A cable crane was built to transport steel across the valley — moving between tall
towers on either side.​

○​ It can lift up to 40 tons at a time.​

●​ A derrick crane (a stronger type) is also used — it can lift up to 100 tons.​

✅ Fun Fact: For the first time in Indian Railways, a continuous welded plate
girder is being used in this railway bridge.

🔷 19. Foundations:
●​ Building in such a difficult hilly terrain requires large-scale excavation.​

●​ The tallest pier is 137.7 m high, so it needs a huge foundation:​

150 m long x 36.5 m wide​

🔷 20. Slope Stabilization:

●​ The side slopes of the valley are very steep, from 43° to 77°.​

●​ The Indian Institute of Science helped with slope stability.​

●​ To make the slopes safe:​

○​ Rock bolts (metal rods) of lengths 4m, 8.5m, and 11.5m are drilled into the
ground.​

○​ Perforated pipes are installed to drain water, reducing water pressure inside
the slope.​

○​ The slope is also sprayed with concrete (called guniting) and reinforced with
steel mesh.​
🔷 21. Deck and Arch Construction Process:
●​ Long steel segments are assembled, and the deck (where trains run) is pushed over
them.​

●​ Once in place, the derrick crane is mounted on the deck.​

●​ The derrick is used to build the arch by lifting arch segments up from deck level.​

●​ Both the deck and the arch are built at the same time, cantilevering out up to 48
meters.​

●​ As the arch grows:​

○​ Temporary cables are added to support it.​

○​ A new arch pier (dock) is built at the free end to support the next segment.​

○​ This continues until the last arch segment is placed.​

●​ The last segment of the arch is also lifted using the cable crane, and the final closure
is done using the derrick crane.​

🔷 22. Special Deck Features:

●​ The bridge deck is partly straight and partly curved.​

●​ It follows a transition curve — meaning the curvature gradually changes.​

●​ Construction happens in stages, carefully adjusting for this changing shape.​

●​ The deck is welded in 8-meter segments in workshops, because most welding

points are located underneath the bridge and are hard to access later.

🔷 23. Challenges in Construction:

1.​ Remote and Difficult Terrain:​
 ○​ The bridge is being built in one of the most complex and remote areas in India.​

○​ There was no proper road access to the site, so 5 km of new roads had to be
built just to reach the foundation area.​

2.​ River Flow Issues:​

○​ A major challenge was to construct the bridge without blocking or disturbing

the flow of the Chenab River.​

3.​ Logistics and Equipment Transport:​

○​ Transporting heavy construction machinery was very hard due to the poor
infrastructure and hilly terrain.​

4.​ Security Concerns:​

○​ The construction site is in a sensitive zone that is vulnerable to terrorist

attacks, which added to the risks.​

5.​ Foundation and Arch Erection:​

○​ Stabilizing the arch foundations was a big technical challenge.​

○​ Engineers had to anchor the arch with many forestay and backstay cables at
specific joints (called nodal points) to reduce bending or movement.​

6.​ Wind Restrictions:​

○​ If wind speed exceeds 50 km/h, all erection work must stop for safety.​

7.​ Work at Height:​

○​ Since work is being done at great heights, safety nets are fixed underneath to
catch any falling tools or materials and prevent injuries.​

🔷 24. Conclusions:
●​ Designing the main arch bridge was extremely complex and had to account for:​
 ○​ Fatigue (effect of repeated loads over time)​

○​ Global stability (overall safety of the entire bridge structure)​

○​ Second-order effects (extra forces due to bending or deflection)​

○​ Composite action (interaction between steel and concrete)​

●​ The design had to ensure the same level of reliability for all possible load cases (like
train weight, wind, earthquake, etc.).​

●​ The Chenab Bridge will be the highest, longest-span railway arch bridge in the world
once completed.​

🔷 25. Construction Quantities:

●​ Steel required: 27,000 metric tons​

●​ Built-up steel (pre-assembled units): 4,000 metric tons​

●​ Concrete required: 66,000 cubic meters​

●​ Excavation work: 8 million cubic meters of soil and rock​

🔷 26. Timeline:
●​ Construction was stopped in 2008 due to alignment and security concerns.​

●​ Work resumed in 2010.​

●​ Original completion was expected in 2015, then moved to 2019.​

●​ Final expected completion date: December 2021.