Abstract Old steel bridges present a wide range of structural issues that require the use of specific procedures to assess their structural safety and performance. In this research, the structural conditions of the Gerga Railway Bridge in Egypt were examined and recommendations for repairs were provided. This was accomplished with specific emphasis on presenting the challenges the team encountered and had to overcome to properly assess and repair the bridge structure. The structural assessment of the Gerga Bridge was part of a campaign that included the assessment of 75 majority old and poorly documented steel bridges that were part of the railway network in Egypt. The study included visual inspection, structural analysis, and fatigue considerations. In addition, an experimental field-testing program was established and included static, dynamic, and material tests. Results from these tests were used to validate the numerical models that were developed and used for further analyses. Finally, practical repair techniques were explored. The procedures presented in this study and the challenges that were overcome for bridge assessment, repair, testing, and numerical modeling provide a benchmark case that could be used for other bridges that are aging, not properly repaired overtime, or bridges that do not have a well-documented design and repair records.
Hassan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.