1

PROJECT REPORT
On
USE OF SPECIAL STEEL FOR GIRDER BRIDGES
ON INDIAN RAILWAYS




Submitted by

Sushil Kumar Yadav
DyCE/N.C. Rly
Course No 724

Under the guidance of

8hri V.B.8ood.
P/T-





2

Contents
Page no
1. Introduction 1
2.Advantage of steel in Bridge construction 1
3.Need for special steel on IR 4
3.1.High Strength Structural Steel 7
3.2High Performance Steel 8
4.Properties of HPS 10
5.Recwnt Developments In HPS 11
6.AREMA Guidelines 12
7.Case studies 13
8.Conclusions 19
9.Suggestions/Recommendations 19
10. References 20













3
U8E OF 8PECAL 8TEEL FOR GRDER BRDGE8
ON NDAN RALWAY8

1. NTRODUCTON
There are about 1,20,000 bridges of all types and spans on Indian Railways
making an average of two bridges per route km. A rough break-up of the total is:

Girder bridges 20%
Arch bridges 19%
Slab culverts 23%
Pipe culverts 19%
Other types 19%

About 50% of these bridges are more than 100 years old. Though more than
1000 bridges are rebuilt / rehabilitated every year, the backlog is enormous. Old
railway bridges are facing following types of problems:
Aging and fatigue consideration
Increased loading standards for axle load
Increased longitudinal loads
Rebuilding meter gauge bridges for broad gauge work.
Replacement of Early Steel Girders provided prior to 1905.
Corrosion problems in coastal areas.

Most of the girder bridges are of steel; some of them being of early steel with
heterogeneous composition and need constant attention for their upkeep. Early
Steel Girder Bridges are those Bridges which were constructed before 1905. In
those times, the content of sulphur and phosphorus in the steel was more than the
present day value. More content of sulphur and phosphorus results brittle failure of
the structures. Ministry of Railways, as a policy decision, taken steps to replace all
such bridges and accordingly any such scattered bridges, if still existing on date, has
been planned to be replaced by 2008 under the Special Railway Safety Fund
(SRSF).
There has been significant improvement in steel making technologies
throughout the world over the last few decades, both in terms of metallurgical
advances, and rolling and heat treatment process developments. In spite of that,
Indian Railways has not revised their specifications for the steel to be used in the
bridges. The purpose of this paper to study the special steel being used world over
and compare with the current practices of Indian Railways.


2. ADVANTAGE8 OF 8TEEL N BRDGE CON8TRUCTON

The steel is a very versatile material having many advantages over the other
material. Presently, the mega bridge projects being undertaken by the Railways
4
involves steel super structures. For longer spans, the railway has shown more
confidence in steel compared with PSC. This is basically due to the fact that in case
of steel bridges, rehabilitation procedures are easier and involve lesser delays,
inspections are easier as it allows the deformations to be seen and easily
evaluated/measured besides the basic fact that Railway engineers feel comfortable
in constructing and maintaining steel bridges.
Generally speaking, steel bridges may have the following advantages when
compared to concrete/PSC bridges:
-Reduced dead loads.
-More economic foundations.
-Simpler erection procedures.
-Shorter execution time.
-Faster and easier rehabilitation.

When constructed in insurgency affected areas like North-East and J&K and
in high seismicity areas where damage to the bridges is more likely, steel bridges
provides easier and faster options for rehabilitation. More over, structural
redundancies can be easily inbuilt in steel bridges.
A disadvantage of steel when compared to concrete is the maintenance cost
for the prevention of corrosion. However, it is now recognized that concrete bridges
also have problems relating to maintenance i.e. relating to the effects of corrosion of
steel reinforcement on the durability of the structure.
In addition to the various points cited above, structural steel as the basic
bridge construction material involves following advantages which have also played
an importantpart in this shift of Railway engineers ideology from concrete/PSC
bridge construction to steel bridge construction: -
Hgh Strength to Weght Rato
High strength to weight ratio of steel minimizes substructure costs, which is
particularly beneficial in poor ground conditions. Minimum self weight is also an
important factor in transporting and handling of bridge components specially in hilly
areas like North-East and Jammu & Kashmir. In addition, it facilitates very shallow
construction depth for girders, which over come problems with headroom and flood
clearances and minimizing the length of approach ramps. The low self weight also
minimizes foundation work in case of bridges being constructed near existing rail
lines.
Hgh Quaty Matera
Steel is a high quality material, which is readily available world wide in various
certified grades, shapes and sizes. The testing regime carried out at the steel mills
imparts confidence to the engineers for the bridge projects. Prefabrication in
controlled shop condition leads to high quality work at minimum cost. The quality
control extends from the material itself and follows on through the processes of
cutting, drilling, welding and fit-up. The total weight of steel constructions is a fraction
of the total weight of concrete bridges. Therefore steel bridges can be used with long
spans, even in earthquake-prone areas.


5
speed of constructon
The prefabrication of the components means that construction time on site in
hostile environment is minimized. The light weight nature of steel permits the
erection of large components. Besides this, resource, such as water, aggregates etc
may sometimes not be easily available at sites on this project, for the purpose of
production of concrete.

Versatty
Steel suits a wide range of construction methods and sequences. Installation
may be by cranes, launching, slide-in-techniques or transporters. For example, in
Jammu & Kashmir area on Katra-Quazigund section, the erection of the main steel
arch of Chenab and Anjikhad bridge is being planned by mechanized rope way.
Steel gives the engineer flexibility in terms of erection sequence and programme.
Components can be sized to suit access restriction at site, and once erected the
steel girders provide a platform for subsequent operations.

Recycng

Steel is a sustainable material. When a steel bridge reaches the end of its useful
life, the girders can be cut into manageable sizes to facilitate demolition, and
returned to steelworks for recycling. The increased emphasis of the green
techniques for construction, steel is lot Greener than concrete for bridges.

Repar & Rehabtaton
Steel bridges can readily be repaired after accidental damages. In case of
damage to the bridge due to derailment/accident, damage due to a terrorist activity
or damage due to natural causes such as earthquakes, floods etc. complete steel
spans can be replaced without much delay which is not the case with PSC super
structures. This aspect is very important in the case of Railways where longer
disruption to rail traffic can not be afforded.
Aesthetcs Aesthetcs Aesthetcs Aesthetcs

Steel has broad architectural possibilities. Steel bridges can be made to look
light or heavy, and can be sculptured to any shape or form. The high surface quality
of steel creates clean sharp lines and allows attention to detail. Modern fabrication
methods have removed restrictions on curvature in both plan and elevation. The
painting of steelwork introduces colour and contrast, and repainting can change or
refresh the appearance of the bridge to appear as new.


Durabty
Steel bridges now have a proven life span extending to well over 100 years.
In fact, old steel girders of vintage 1854 etc are also in use on branch lines. Steel
has a predictable life, as the structural elements are visible and accessible. Any
signs of deterioration are readily apparent, without the need for extensive
6
investigations. Direct measurements of stresses are possible as all the parts /
members are accessible and thickness of members is less. Corrosion is a problem,
which can, however, be addressed by timely painting. In addition, the latest coatings
are anticipated to last well beyond 30 years before requiring major maintenance.
The potential durability of steel may be summarized in the following quote by a Mr.
J.A.Waddell in 1921:
The life of a steel bridge that is scientifically designed, honestly and carefully
built, and not seriously overloaded, if properly maintained, is indefinitely long.

3. NEED FOR 8PECAL 8TEEL N NDAN RALWAY8

Major new line construction projects came up in North-East, Jammu-Kashmir
besides mega bridge construction projects. Four mega bridges are presently under
construction, two on river Ganga at Patna and Munger, one on river Kosi and one on
river Brahmputra at Bogibeel. The gigantic river Brahmputra, Ganga and Kosi divide
the areas into North and South bank. The connectivity between the two sides plays
an important role in development of the economies of such areas. These mega
bridge projects have been undertaken as there has been long standing demands to
provide more rail connections across these rivers. The salient features of these
mega bridges are as under:

Patna Ganga Bridge Munger
Bridge
Kosi Bridge Bogibeel
Bridge
Approx.
cost (Rs. In
Crore)
624.47 921 323.41 1767.36
Type of
bridge
Rail Bridge but now
being planned as
Rail-cum-road
bridge
Rail-cum road
bridge
Rail Bridge Rail-cum-road
bridge
Span of
main bridge
4.556 Kms (37x123
m
+ 2x64 m
3.190 kms
(25x125 m +
2x32.6 m
1.853 kms
(39x48.15 m)
4.31 kms
(34x125 m) +
2x32.6 m)
Type of
Girder
Steel Steel Steel Steel


Besides above mega bridge projects, mega bridges are also being
constructed in the Katra-Quazigund section of the ambitious Udhampur-Katra-
Quazigund-Srinagar- Baramulla new BG Rail link project being executed by N.
Railway as a National project. Katra-Quazigund section is the toughest section ever
been constructed on the Indian Railways. It is even tougher than Konkan Railway.
On this section, Railways will be constructing a bridge across river Chenab which
will have a steel arched span of 480 m and the total bridge length will be 1315 m.
The arched span will be about 359 m above the bed level of the river. While the steel
arched span is expected to be the 3rd longest in the World, the bridge height above
7
the bed level of the river will be the highest in the World. The approximate cost of
this bridge is Rs. 520 Crores. Another mega bridge in this section across Anjikhad is
also being constructed at an approximate cost of Rs. 250 Crores. This bridge is 657
m long having a steel arched span of 210 m. This will be about 186m above the bed
level of the river.

The present day structural steel being used in Indian railway bridges is
as per IS-2062: 1999 which has the following chemical composition:


Ladle analysis, percent ,
max
Grade Designation
C Mn S P Si
Carbon
equivalent
(CE), Max
Deoxidation
mode
Supply
condition
A Fe410W A 0.23 1.50 0.050 0.050 0.40 0.42 Semi-killed
or
killed
As rolled
B Fe410W B 0.22 1.50 0.045 0.045 0.40 0.41 Killed As rolled
C Fe410W C 0.20 1.50 0.040 0.040 0.40 0.39 Killed As rolled




Following are the mechanical properties required for the steel as per IS-2062:
1999


Yield stress
Min , MPa
Percent
Elongation
at gauge
Length
Internal
Diameter
Of Bend
Grade Designation Tensile
strength

Min, MPa
20
mm
20 to
40
mm
40
mm
Min. Min.
Charpy V-
Notch Impact
Energy
J,Min
A Fe410W A 410 250 240 230 23 3t -
B Fe410W B 410 250 240 230 23 2t-3t 27
C Fe410W C 410 250 240 230 23 2t 27





8


Following are the chemical properties of the selected Weldable high tensile
structural steel as per IS-8500



Ladle analysis, percent ,
max
Grade Designation
C Mn S P
Carbon
equivalent
(CE), Max
FE440-HT 0.25 1.5 0.055 0.055 0.42
Fe490-HTB 0.25 1.50 0.040 0.040 0.44
Fe640HT 0.25 1.50 0.050 0.050 0.56







Following are the mechanical properties required for the Weldable structural steel
as per IS-8500

Yield strength,Min,MPa Charpy V-
Notch Impact
Energy
J,Min
Grade Tensile
strength
MPa
6
mm
6-20 21-40 41-63 63
Percent
Elongation
at gauge
Length
Internal
Diameter
Of Bend
0 C 20C
Fe440-
HT1
440-560 300 300 290 280 By
Agt
20 3T - -
Fe440-
HT2
440-560 300 300 290 2803
20
20 3T - -
Fe490-
HT
490-610 350 340 330 320 20 3T - -
Fe490-
HTA
490-610 350 340 330 320 21 3T 40 30
Fe490-
HTB
490-610 350 340 330 380 22 2T 45 35
Fe540-
HT
540-660 410 400 390 380 19 3T - -
Fe540-
HTA
540-660 410 400 390 380 20 3T 35 25
9
Fe540-
HTB
540-660 410 400 390 380 21 2T 40 30
Fe570-
HT
570-720 450 440 430 420 18 3T 30 20
Fe590-
HT
590-740 490 480 - - - 18 3T - -
Fe640-
HT
640-790 540 530 - - - 17 3T - -


Despite provisions given in the IS:8500, Indian Railways has not used the
higher grade steel except at Udhampur - Katra section where steel grade of Fe 490-
HTB has been used for primary members. The problems faced by the Indian
railways at present are listed below and the steel industry has to look at these to
shift its focus for the production of high quality steel. The concern area regarding
present day steel being used in Indian railways are :

- Steel quality is not consistent.

- Plates more than 63 mm thick is not in production in the country.

- Normalised or TMC steel - grey areas.

- Laser cutting methods for smooth and aesthetic cutting not available.

- Erection of long spans slow process.

- Welders/riveters are not readily available i.e. shortage of trained manpower.

-Rerolling by the secondary manufacturers has quality concerns

It is high time that the specification for the steel being used in Indian railways
be improved to eliminate its inferior qualities. Present day steel is having more
carbon content which affects its weldability which ultimately leads to inferior quality
of product. Apart from that, the steel as per IS 2062 posses less fracture toughness,
that is why, it is more prone to fracture and cracks. The property of present day
steel, which is very much of concern, is its low corrosion resistance. It has been
experienced that life cycle cost and premature renewals has been a very costly
exercise throughout the Indian railways.
There is, therefore, need for special steel to be used for bridge construction.
The special steel can be :

3.1 HIGH STRENGTH STRUCTURAL STEEL
Over the last few decades, there has been significant improvement in steel
making technologies world over, both in terms of metallurgical advances, and rolling
and heat treatment process developments. One of the important technologies in this
10
context is Thermo-Mechanical Control Process (TMCP) which adequately controls
rolling and cooling within the steel plate production in order to generate fine
microstructures. The considerable advancements in steel making technology over
the last few decades have introduced several grades of high strength structural steel
primarily defined by their yield strength greater than 350 MPa and changed the
scenario of welded steel bridge fabrication. The characteristics of these steels are
higher performance in tensile strength, toughness, weldability, cold formability, and
corrosion resistance as compared to the traditionally used mild steel grades.
The higher-strength grade (480 and 690 MPa) steels can be immediately
used to improve the structural efficiency of todays bridge designs. Preliminary
results also indicate that strengths as high as 900 MPa may be possible to use in
future bridge design. However, different bridge design concepts will be needed in
order to use this variety of steel.
3.2 HIGH PERFORMANCE STEEL
For highway and rail bridge constructions, high-performance steel (HPS) can
be defined as one that possesses the optimum combination of properties required to
build cost-effective structures that will be safe and durable throughout their service
life. A primary goal of high-performance steels is to make them more weldable by
reducing the carbon levels in the steel. As a result the steels are more tolerant of
welding process procedures and welding conditions. This can lead to significant
improvements in fabrication efficiency, improved weld quality, and possible
reductions in the level of quality assurance inspection that is currently required.
Improving weldability also opens the door for using field welding for construction and
repair of steel structures. Many of the HPS possess excellent toughness providing
higher reserve capacity to structures, and allow the structures to tolerate fabrication
flaws and withstand extreme loading events such as earthquakes. Toughness may
provide the confidence necessary for engineers to take a risk, and try innovative new
bridge design concepts and systems. The good formability is also a key factor for the
popularity of high-performance steel due to the increasing use of light-gauge
structural members. Many of these new shapes may require steels that tolerate
bending and forming operations.

Comparison of chemical properties of various HPS all over the world and IS
2062 :--

S 2062 S 2062 S 2062 S 2062
Ladle analysis, percent ,
max
Grade Designation
C Mn S P Si
Carbon
equivalent
(CE), Max
Deoxidation
mode
Supply
condition
A Fe410W A 0.23 1.50 0.050 0.050 0.40 0.42 Semi-killed
or
killed
As rolled
B Fe410W B 0.22 1.50 0.045 0.045 0.40 0.41 Killed As rolled
C Fe410W C 0.20 1.50 0.040 0.040 0.40 0.39 Killed As rolled
11

A over the word A over the word A over the word A over the word
Chemical composition ( Wt , % ) Region Designation
C
max
Mn
max
S
max
P
max
Si
max
Cu
max
Ni
max
Cr
max
Mo
max
V
Max
HPS-70W 0.10 1.2 0.006 0.001 0.3-
0.5
0.33 0.31 0.5
2
0.06 0.06


US
HPS-100W 0.10 0.95
-
1.50
.006 .0015 .15-
.35
0.9 -
1.2
.65 .60 .40 .06
BHS 500 0.11 2.0 .006 .020 0.50 0.40 0.30 0.75 - -

Japan BHS 700 0.14 2.0 .006 .015 0.50 0.30 2.0 0.80 0.60 0.05
S460M 0.16 1.7 .020 .025 0.60 0.55 0.80 0.30 0.20 0.12
Europe
S690Q 0.19 1.7 .010 .020 0.80 0.50 2.0 1.50 0.70 0.12


The primary strength controlling chemical element in all steel is carbon ( C ).
In comparison to conventional mild steel ( 0.18 C 0.25 ) the carbon content of
HPS has been reduced to values between 0.11 and 0.16, with all other element
making up the strength loss that is associated with lower carbon content.

The improved toughness and weldability of this steel is mainly gained through
the required low sulfur level of about 0.006 as maximum.
The corrosion resistance of the steel is enhanced by the introduction of alloy
elements like Ni, Cr, Cu, Mo etc. Some steels containing high content of Nickel ( Ni )
and Copper ( Cu ) have a much higher corrosion resistance than the original ones
and thus allow structures to be built without painting or other corrosion resistance
techniques.
The development and deployment of High Performance Steel (HPS) for
highway bridges originated with a joint effort of the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA), the Navy, and the American Iron & Steel Institute in 1992. This
collaboration acted to develop an affordable steel grade with higher strength,
improved weldability, and greater toughness while enhancing overall quality and
ease of fabrication. The effort was a resounding success. More than 200 HPS
bridges now carry traffic in 43 states.
HPS has outstanding potential to decrease costs and increase productivity for
building steel bridges. The new steel provides up to 18% cost savings and 28%
weight savings compared to traditional bridge design materials. The higher strength
plus excellent weldability of this steel are especially advantageous for hybrid girders
where it can be used in high-stress regions while using lower strength steels
elsewhere. AASHTO has well established steel design codes, and has made
adjustments to accommodate these higher strength steels.
12

4. PROPERTE8 OF HP8

ACCORDING to the FHWA, HPS offers several beneficial attributes for bridges,
including weldability, toughness, ductility, and corrosion resistance. For example, it
has low levels of carbon and carbon equivalents to provide good weldability with
reduced or no preheat and without expensive welding techniques. HPS also has a
high level of fracture toughness to minimize the potential for brittle failure and to
improve structure reliability. It provides better than adequate material ductility, and
has a much higher tolerance of cracks. HPS has slightly higher atmospheric
corrosion resistance characteristics than that of conventional weathering steel.

StrengthBefore the development of HPS, the steel grades for bridges had a
minimum yield strength of 36,000 and 50,000 lbs per square inch (36 and 50 ksi). In
the metric system, these grades translate to 250 and 345 megapascals (MPa).
Currently available high-performing steels have minimum yield strengths of 50, 70,
and 100 ksi (345, 485, and 690 MPa).

Weathering CapabilityIncluded in this development are HPS formulations
with weathering capability that add savings in life cycle costs. These specials grades
effectively resist weather and corrosion. Naturally occurring corrosion eventually
forms a protective barrier layer (patina) on the steel that greatly reduces further
access to oxygen, moisture, and contaminants. This stable barrier layer resists
further corrosion, reducing it to a low value. The increased durability and corrosion
resistance of these weathering formulations of HPS result in a longer, maintenance-
free bridge life.
When the steel has a weathering capability, the letter W becomes a suffix to
the grade number. Because all HPS is produced with weathering capability, the
grades are 50W, 70W, and 100W. Currently, HPS 50W, 70W and 100W steel plates
are available in thicknesses up to 4, 4, and 2.5 inches respectively.

WeldabilityHigh strength levels in steel are usually achieved by increasing the
amount of carbon and other alloys. But high carbon levels make welding difficult,
often leading to cracking during construction or in service. To avoid cracking,
fabricators and erectors must perform carefully controlled techniques. They must
often heat the steel before and after welding, precisely control energy input and
temperatures, and regulate welding consumables. These requirements increase
fabrication and erection costs.
HPS grades, on the other hand, have been developed to greatly improve
weldability and to minimize need for pre- and post-heating. The high strength of HPS
comes from heat treatment and rolling processes during manufacture rather than
from carbon content. HPS contains low levels of carbon, making it easy to weld
under a variety of conditions.

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Fracture ToughnessHigh Performance Steel has much higher fracture
toughness than the conventional grades of steel used for bridge construction. HPS
makes the transition from brittle to ductile at a much lower temperature than
conventional grades. So HPS improves reliability by minimizing the chance of
sudden brittle failure.
Having greater fracture toughness, HPS better resists cracks in the bridge
structure. This property provides more time for inspectors to detect and repair any
fatigue cracks that might develop before the structure becomes unsafe.

FabricationStandard shop practices of girders of High Performance Steel may
require some modification for drilling, reaming, and mill scale removal. For HPS
70W, drill bits and reamers will dull quickly unless the worked area is flooded with
lubricants. To remove mill scale, abrasive blasting is the preferred method. Grinding
mill scale from HPS grades has proved difficult.

5 55 5. . . . RECENT DEVEL RECENT DEVEL RECENT DEVEL RECENT DEVELOPMENT8 N HP8 OPMENT8 N HP8 OPMENT8 N HP8 OPMENT8 N HP8

Work continues on improving the capability of HPS grades. For example, the
yield strength of HPS 70W, the most widely used of the HPS grades, tends to drop
off with plate thickness. To compensate, the steels manganese content can be
increased. For HPS 70W plate thicknesses greater than 2.5 inch, specifications now
permit increasing the manganese maximum level from 1.35% to 1.50%. This change
avoids the need for re-heat treating the plate to maintain minimum yield strength
requirements.
Other studies suggest that for special fracture-critical applications improved
impact properties of HPS 70W can be achieved. For example, a minimum Charpy V-
Notch level of 50 ft-lb may be possible for test temperatures as low as -25F. The
HPS steering committee is considering such issues for future upgrades of the
specification.
HPS 100WThe most recent development of high-performing bridge steels is the
HPS 100W grade. Development work is underway to increase toughness for plate
thicknesses of this grade beyond 2.5 inches, which may require increasing the
plates nickel content. The steel chemistries being studied are based on the U.S.
Navys 100 ksi grades.
A recent demonstration project in Nebraska represents the first steel bridge
that makes extensive use of 100 ksi steel. This bridge, located near Grand Island,
NE, crosses over I-80. Its a two-span steel box bridge with equal spans of 139 feet
in length.
Original design for the bridge made use of steel box girders in a hybrid
arrangement, with bottom flanges of the box sections using 70 ksi High Performance
Steel and webs and top flanges using conventional 50 ksi steel. Then designers
substituted 100 ksi HPS for all webs and flanges to demonstrate that fabrication and
construction would proceed normally.

14
Use of HPS allowed designers to increase the span length of each girder
beyond the traditional 120 feet, while keeping the total weight of each girder below
the 30-ton crane capacity of the local fabricators. In addition, the HPS permitted
thinner bottom flanges and reduced web depth. The webs of the HPS girders are
perpendicular to the bottom flanges rather than sloped. This significantly reduces
fabrication time and cost. The fabricator can use equipment and practices typical for
I-beam plate girders.

ASTM A1010In another development, steels with superior corrosion resistance
are being evaluated for challenging bridge applications. ASTM A1010 steels, which
have 12% chromium content, now find use in such applications as coal rail cars and
coal processing equipment. Accelerated laboratory tests and exposure panels
indicate that A1010 outperforms weathering and galvanized steels in wet/dry salt-
water environments and outperforms a variety of weathering steels in seaside
locations.
6. AREMA GUDELNE8 The American Railroad Engineering and
Maintenance of way Association has already included HPS 70W for all its structural
design , fabrication and construction works.
All the steel structures in U.S. Railroad are to be designed, fabricated and
constructed in accordance with AREMA, Chapter 15 and as modified by the Railroad
Guidelines.
Materials
Structural Steel Table 15-1-1
High Strength Bolts ASTM A 325 and A 490

Carbon and Alloy Steel Nuts ASTM A 563

Washers, Steel, Hardened ASTM F 436

Direct Tension Indicators ASTM F 959

Machine Bolts ASTM A 307

Cast Steel, for shoes ASTM A 27Grade 65-35 or A 148

Forged Steel, for large pins ASTM A 668

Structural Steel, weathering type ASTM A588 or A 709 Gr 50W
A852 and A709 Gr HPS 70W
Bronze for bearing and expansion plates: Cast Plates ASTM B22
Rolled Plates ASTM B100
Welded Electrodes See AWS D1.5 for A709; for HPS 70W

7. CA8E 8TUDE8

1. Experence of HPS n USA
15
Many Departments in US have designed and constructed HPS bridges. Brief
descriptions and cost studies of some of the bridges are given below:-

( A ) The bridge in Pennsylvania was constructed in 2000 with HPS 70W . it is a
three span continuous welded steel plate girder bridge with span of 98m,127m
and 98 m respectively. There are four lines of girders spaced at 4.1 m.
HPS 70W has been used in the negative moment regions and grade 50W
elsewhere. This hybrid combination of steel resulted in 20% reduction in steel.


Fig. 1 Pennsylvania Ford city bridge ( 98m + 127m + 98 m )

( B ) A recent demonstration project in Nebraska represents the first steel bridge
that makes extensive use of 100 ksi steel. This bridge, located near Grand
Island, NE, crosses over I-80. Its a two-span steel box bridge with equal spans
of 139 feet in length.
Original design for the bridge made use of steel box girders in a hybrid
arrangement, with bottom flanges of the box sections using 70 ksi High
Performance Steel and webs and top flanges using conventional 50 ksi steel.
Then designers substituted 100 ksi HPS for all webs and flanges to demonstrate
that fabrication and construction would proceed normally.
Use of HPS allowed designers to increase the span length of each girder
beyond the traditional 120 feet, while keeping the total weight of each girder
below the 30-ton crane capacity of the local fabricators. In addition, the HPS
permitted thinner bottom flanges and reduced web depth. The webs of the HPS
girders are perpendicular to the bottom flanges rather than sloped. This
significantly reduces fabrication time and cost. The fabricator can use equipment
and practices typical for I-beam plate girders.

A study was done for a variety of hybrid combinations was by obtaining the unit
cost from the fabricators and used in the relative cost comparison of the various
designs:

Material cost Fabricated cost
16

Grade 50 W $0.40/lb ($0.88/kg)

$0.61/lb($1.34/kg)
HPS 70W $0.54/lb.( $1.19/kg)

$0.75lb. ($1.65/kg)

The study concludes that :
1. HPS 70W results in weight and depth savings for all span lengths and girder
spacing.
2. Hybrid designs are more economical for all the spans and girder spacings.
The most economical hybrid combination is grade 50 for all webs and positive
moment top flanges, with HPS 70W for negative moments top flanges and all
bottom flanges.


Figure 2. Two-span bridge over Interstate 80 near Grand Island, NE. The webs and
flanges of the box girders are of 100 ksi weathering High Performance Steel.

( C ) Bradford County, PA, became the site of a demonstration HPS bridge with a
corrugated web, which was designed by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
(PennDOT). According of Tom Macioce, P.E., a bridge engineer with PennDOT, this
two-lane demonstration bridge has two spans. The four lines of steel girders for this
bridge have corrugated webs with a trapezoidal configuration. HPS 70W constitutes
the web, flanges, and splice plates. The bridge opened for service in July of 2005.





17


Figure 3 Demonstration bridge in Bradford County, PA, employs girders with
corrugated webs in a trapezoidal configuration. The webs, flanges, and splice plates
are of weathering High Performance Steel.


( D ) A cellular box girder bridge located in a corrosion-prone environment of Colusa
County, CA, uses 0.16-inch-thick A1010 steel. Research continues to develop
production practices for more traditional bridge applications requiring thicker plate.
A1010 steel can be considered when life cycle costs are the paramount criterion.
These steels, however, are about twice the cost of grade 50W steels.


Figure 4. A cellular box girder bridge located in a corrosion-prone environment of
Colusa County, CA, uses 0.16-inch-thick A1010 steel with 12% chromium content.


2. Experence of HPS n Japan
18

in Japan, the HPS is called as Bridge High-performance Steel ( BHS ). In order to
increase the applications, Tokyo Institute of technology SIGI Project and Japan Iron
and Steel Federation have jointly proposed an advanced high performance steel
termed BHS ( Bridge High Performance steel) . There are two types of BHS; one
with Yield strength of 500 MPa and other with a yield strength of 700 MPa, which are
respectively called BHS 500 and BHS 700. Additionally, BHS 500W and BHS 700W
indicate weathering type BHS. The following are the applications of BHS in Japan:-

( A ) The Tokyo Bay Seaside Road is routed to connect the reclaimed lands on the
off-shore side of the coastal road by constructing a bridge of 760 m in length across
the sea BHS steel is proposed to be used for this bridge. A truss bridge design, and
not a cable stayed bridge design is , is adopted for this bridge having a central span
of 440 m since the height under the girder is required to be large enough for a
maritime transportation seaway under the bridge and at the same time the total
height of the bridge is required to be low enough for the normal operation of Haneda
Airport. Though the main material for the bridge will be BHS 500, BHS 700 will be
applied to the truss members near the bridge piers, where a large tensile force acts,
for rational utilization of the strength improved material. The total quantity of steel to
be used is of the order of 20,000 tons.


( B ) a lot of bridges has been constructed in Japan using Nickel containing
advanced weathering steel in the corrosion prone areas. Normally these steel
contains 3% Ni-Cu .
By applying these new steels, the life cycle cost of these bridges are
decreased, as the cost of painting and repainting disappears. For example, the
typical initial cost of heavy duty type painting is about 8,000 yen/m, while the initial
(additional) cost of using these new steel is about 4,200 yen/m . So, for only the
initial painting cost, these new steel can reduce the cost by about 50%. And the life
cycle cost benefit can be larger as the re-painting cost in not needed.

3. Experence of HPS n Europe
( A ) Hybrid Girder Bridge , Sweden is simply supported with a span of 25.6 m and a
free width of 7m. the girder height is of 1245mm and the steel weight 103 kg/m
deck area. The use of S690 has been done in the bottom flange. The Hybrid bridge
girders are now included in the Swedish bridge code.

( B ) The road bridge over the river Rhine at Dusseldorf, Germany is a cable stayed
road bridge of the highway A44. The bridge was built in thw period 1998-2002. for
the steel structure, 7180 t of steel grade S355 and 520 t of grade S460 were used.

( C ) Millau viaduct , France is Multiplan cable stayed bridge with a light steel deck
crossing the river at a height of 270m. With a total construction height of 343 m the
bridge takes the world record of the highest bridge in the world. The 2460 m long
deck is composed of 6 main spans of 342 m each and two side spans of 204 m
19
each. The deck is composed of a steel girder with a total height of up to 4.20 m and
total width of 32.0 m. In total 43,000 t of steel plates have been applied for the deck
and pylons. 12,500 t High Strength steel grade S460ML has been used for the
entire central box and some connecting elements with a thickness up to 80 mm in
order to:
- resist high load without increasing the amount of steel used.
- Reduce cantilever bending moments during launching of bridge.
- Apply a more efficient welding process.
- Reduced transport weights from the workshop to the site.

Furthermore, the pylons have been constructed in S460ML steel grade in a
thickness of up to 120 mm.

Fig 5 Visualisation of the Millau Viaduct

20

Fig 6 Construction of boxes for the deck in progress (Millau viaduct)

Fig 7 Construction of the Pylon ( Millau Viaduct )

21
8. CONCLU8ON8

It is concluding that the High Performance Steel is being used on highway
and railway bridges successfully all over the world because of its inherent quality of
better strength, resistance against fracture toughness, weldability and a very good
resistance against weathering / corrosion. The weight of the structure is reduced
tremendously reducing the cost of substructure and foundations and over all
reduced life cycle costs. Its introduction on Indian railways will be a very good
decision for the upgradation of the present technology of design, fabrication and
maintenance of steel bridges.


9. 8UGGE8TON8/RECOMMENDATON8

In comparison to the developed countries, the steel being used in Indian railways
is of inferior quality. Following suggestions / recommendations are given for early
adoption of High Performance steel over Indian Railways:-

1. Furthermore studies should be conducted for the adoption of HPS or any
other type of steel which suits Indian conditions and economy.

2. The Railway Board in consultation with RDSO may jointly discuss the issue
for convincing the steel industry including SAIL for producing the special type
of steel for Indian bridges.

3. A pilot project should be given to each railways for applying the High
Performance steel in at least one bridge so that experience in the same can
be gained.

4. The major supplier of HPS in US and Europe is Arcelor-Mittal steel and Corus
Group (recently tied up with Tata steel) and they have a very good Indian
connection. These groups may be approached for their help and guidance.













22
REFERENCE8


1. Use and Application of High-Performance steels for steel structures
Structural Engineering documents No 8 Published by IABSE Oct 2005.
2. NBSA White paper, Advances in High performance steels for Highway
bridges by Alexander D Wilson, manager customer technical service, Mittal
Steel USA
3. Prospects of High-Performance welded steel bridge , Advances in bridge
Engineering, Mar 24-25,2006 by P.K.Ghosh,Professor,Department of
Metallurgical and Material Engineering, IIT , Roorkee.
4. Improvements to High Performance steel by A. D. Wilson , Mittal Steel USA
5. IS 2062:1999 Steel for general structural purposes- specification, BIS ,
N.Delhi
6. IS 8500 1977 Spcification for Weldable structural steel ( Medium and High
strength qualities ) , BIS, N. delhi
7. Steel Structures, Design and Behaviour by Charles G. Salmon & John E.
Johnson , Harper & Row
8. www.mittalsteel.com
9. www.nsba.com
10. www.iitr.ac.in/departments/CE/abe/413-419.pdf
11. www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge
12. www.corusgroup.com