A Review on Study and Analysis of Major Structural Elements of an Elevated Metro Bridge

Abstract

A metro system is a railway transport system in an urban area with a high capacity, frequency and the grade separation from other traffic. Metro System is used in cities, agglomerations, and metropolitan areas to transport large numbers of people. An elevated metro system is more preferred type of metro system due to ease of construction and also it makes urban areas more accessible without any construction difficulty. An elevated metro system has two major elements pier and box girder. The present study focuses on two major elements, pier and box girder, of an elevated metro structural system. The parametric study on behaviour of box girder bridges showed that, as curvature decreases, responses such as longitudinal stresses at the top and bottom, shear, torsion, moment and deflection decreases for three types of box girder bridges and it shows not much variation for fundamental frequency of three types of box girder bridges due to the constant span length. It is observed that as the span length increases, longitudinal stresses at the top and bottom, shear, torsion, moment and deflection increases for three types of box girder bridges. As the span length increases, fundamental frequency decreases for three types of box girder bridges. Also, it is noted that as the span length to the radius of curvature ratio increases responses parameter longitudinal stresses at the top and bottom, shear, torsion, moment and deflection are increases for three types of box girder bridges. As the span length to the radius of curvature ratio increases fundamental frequency decreases for three types of box girder bridges.

Introduction

The document discusses the structural design and analysis of metro rail systems, focusing on elevated metro bridges composed mainly of piers and box girders. Metro systems are high-capacity urban transport networks, and elevated structures are preferred due to lower cost, faster construction, and ease of urban integration compared to underground systems.

The literature review explains two main design approaches for metro bridge piers: the traditional Force Based Design (FBD) method, which uses elastic stiffness and seismic force reduction factors, and the modern Direct Displacement Based Design (DDBD) method, which focuses on achieving target performance levels and improved seismic behavior. It also reviews extensive research on box girder bridges using finite element methods, highlighting issues such as shear lag, torsional effects, vibration behavior, and the advantages of curved box girders in metro systems.

The study identifies a research gap in detailed parametric analysis of curved box girder bridges and emphasizes the need for performance-based evaluation.

The scope and objectives are limited to reinforced concrete rectangular piers and box girders, focusing on linear and dynamic analysis while excluding nonlinear behavior and complex structural variations. The main objectives are to compare FBD and DDBD performance for piers and to study the parametric behavior of curved box girders.

The methodology involves defining structural models, selecting load conditions (dead, live, seismic, wind, and dynamic loads), choosing design approaches, developing finite element models, and conducting parametric studies by varying span, curvature, cross-sections, and material properties. The results are to be validated through comparison with existing studies and sensitivity analysis.

Conclusion

The performance assessment of selected designed pier showed that, Force Based Design Method may not always guarantee the performance parameter required and in the present case the pier just achieved the target required. In case of Direct Displacement Based Design Method, selected pier achieved the behaviour factors more than targeted Values. As the radius of curvature increases, responses parameter longitudinal stresses at the top and bottom, shear, torsion, moment and deflection are decreases for three types of box girder bridges and it shows not much variation for fundamental frequency of three types of box girder bridges due to the constant span length. As the span length increases, responses parameter longitudinal stresses at the top and bottom, shear, torsion, moment and deflection are increases for three types of box girder bridges and fundamental frequency decreases for three types of box girder bridges. As the span length to the radius of curvature ratio increases responses parameter longitudinal stresses at the top and bottom, shear, torsion, moment and deflection are increases for three types of box girder bridges and as span length to the radius of curvature ratio increases fundamental frequency decreases for three types of box girder bridges.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Shivam Devidas Jawade, Mr. Hemant Dahake . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.