Grundinstandsetzung der Müngstener Talbrücke

General maintenance of the Müngstener Talbrücke, Germany. The Müngstener Talbrücke, completed in the year 1897, carries the railway no. 2675 above the Wupper Valley. It is still one of the most meaningful structures of steel bridge construction at least in Germany because of its size and the innovative fabrication and assembly process. Beside its historic importance this bridge is still crucial for the connection between the cities of Solingen and Remscheid. About 120 years of railway usage and effect of weather have led to damages and beveled requirements on current technical standards have led to deficiencies in static calculation so that a general maintenance of the structure is necessary in order to strengthen the structure for the next at least 30 years. This article provides an insight beginning from history up to the currently performed strengthening of this momentous structure.     

Instandsetzung und Verstärkung von Stahlbrücken mit Kategorie‐2‐Schäden

Refurbishment of orthotropic steel bridge decks with damages of the category 2. Many of the steel bridges built in the 1960s to 1980s, which are still located within the network of German highways and federal roads, show severe damages often induced by the considerable increase of freight traffic in the last few years. In addition, the forecasts predict a further increase of the heavy‐load traffic. Furthermore and especially in the case of many orthotropic steel bridge decks, several details were realized being no longer state of the art. This paper focuses on the so‐called category 2 damages, which comprise all damages at the longitudinal stiffeners. For this type of damage, different examples of bridges and their solutions of refurbishment are presented. Above all, one possibility of a renovation by means of mechanical fasteners, like blind‐rivets, is considered in detail. This detail is also focused by the current research project ”Refurbishment of fatigue‐stressed longitudinal stiffeners of orthotropic steel bridge decks by means of screwed solutions“ conducted at the University of Stuttgart.     

Ertüchtigung der genieteten Stahlbrücken am Beispiel von zwei Straßenbrücken über den Fluss Marosch in Rumänien

Genietete Stahlbrücken sind heute beinahe nur noch als Eisenbahnbrücken im Einsatz. Es gibt eine relativ geringe Anzahl an genieteten Straßenbrücken, die auf Nebenstraßen in Betrieb sind. Sie sind i. A. in schlechtem technischem Zustand. Dieser Aufsatz ist ein Plädoyer für die Ertüchtigung und Erhaltung dieser Bauwerke als Zeugen einer vergangenen technischen Kultur und Beispiel für eine ansehnliche Stahlkonstruktion. Es werden zwei Fallstudien präsentiert: eine Fachwerkbrücke mit vier Spannweiten von 40 m und ein Fachwerkgerberträger mit einer Gesamtlänge von L = 185,4 m. Maintenance of riveted steel bridges exemplary shown with two highway bridges across the river Marosch in Romania. Riveted steel structures are in present mainly railway bridges. There is a small number of existing highway bridges, generally in bad technical condition. The paper is a speech for the maintenance of these structures as technical monuments and witnesses of the past. Two case studies are presented: a truss girder bridge with fore spans of 40 m and a cantilever truss girder bridge with a total length of 185.4 m.