Systems Engineering

Chenab Bridge Construction Project

Course Project:

Introduction:
The Chenab Bridge is an Indian railway steel and concrete arch bridge between Bakkal and Kauri in
the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. When completed, the bridge will span the Chenab
River at a height of 359 m (1,178 ft) above the river, making it the world's highest rail bridge. In
November 2017 the base supports were declared completed allowing for the start of the
construction of the main arch.

Key technical data of the bridge include

The reason for arch:
(Reference:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257725212_Conceptual_Design_of_the_Chenab_Bridge_
in_India)

The concept of steel arch was clearly the preference of the Client (Fig. 4). In the tender phase several

numbers of alternatives of the steel arch and also a concept of a cable-stayed bridge were studied.
In the

railway line another steel arch bridge, the Anjikhad Bridge, will be built. It follows a similar concept
at a

smaller scale The arch and arch piers of the Chenab Bridge will be made from large steel trusses. In
order to provide

minimum wind resistance, it was initially intended to use pipe sections for all members of the arch.
In order to

facilitate production on site, the chords of the trusses and the diagonals were later modified to
become sealed

steel boxes (Fig. 5). All other members including the secondary members were kept circular, which
greatly

simplifies the connection details. The chord members will be filled with concrete in order to assist in

controlling wind-induced forces on the bridge by improving the damping ratio and stiffness. The
concrete fill

also enhances the overall robustness.

In the arch portion, the superstructure is supported on steel piers with a height of up to 120 metres.

Expansion joints are provided at the end abutments and at Pier S70 that separates the main arch
span from the

approach bridge. At this location there is also a change in the deck height. The point of longitudinal
fixity of

the arch bridge deck is at the arch centre, where the forces are transmitted most efficiently and the

displacements at either end are minimal.

The superstructure is a plate girder with a closed deck, where rails are connected. The closed deck
keeps the

rainwater out and provides mostly dry environment below the deck. Wind noses of the deck are
provided in

main arch portion.

Need for the Chenab rail bridge:
Travelling in and around the mountainous terrain of Jammu and Kashmir has been a great difficulty
for locals. An urgent need to provide better transportation facilities was recognised by the
Government of India. Construction of a national railway project that will connect J&K with the rest of
India was therefore proposed.

The JUSBRL project was launched in 2003 as part of this proposal. The 345km-long railway line
between the Jammu and Baramulla regions will enhance mobility within the state and across India.
The railway line will traverse along Jammu-Udhampur-Katra-Quazigund-Baramulla. Construction of
the Jammu to Udhampur section was completed and opened in April 2005. Work is progressing on
the Udhampur to Baramulla section.

The project includes construction of several bridges and tunnels along the route, of which Chenab
Bridge is one. It is will span across the deep Chenab river and provide access to the Kashmir valley
from Udhampur.

The project was suspended in 2008 due to construction challenges. The alignment of the entire
JUSBRL project was reviewed to propose solutions for the challenges faced. The review work was
submitted to the Railway Board and approved in 2009. The design of the bridge, however, was
approved in July 2012.

Chenab Bridge design details:

Chenab Bridge forms a massive steel arch, the first of its kind in India. The country has no codes or
design guidance for such massive structures. Based on experiences drawn from similar projects
worldwide, the design practices for the bridge are being followed.

BS: 5400 is being used as the basic guideline for the design and construction of the bridge. The deep
Chenab river valley under the bridge is prone to high wind pressure risking the stability of the bridge.

Norway-based Force Technology Laboratory conducted several wind tunnel tests to understand the
effects of wind speed, static force coefficients and gust buffeting. The bridge is designed to resist
wind speeds of up to 260km/h. The seismic nature of the project zone was also considered during its
design.

The bridge will include 17 spans, as well as the 469m main arch span across the Chenab River, and
viaducts on either side. The main span of the bridge will include two 36m-long approach spans. It
will be built as a two ribbed arch with steel trusses made of concrete-filled sealed steel boxes. The
structure will be supported by two 130m-long, 100m-high pylons on either end through cables.
Steel was chosen to construct the bridge as it will be more economical and able to resist
temperatures of -20°C and wind speeds of above 200km/h. The Jammu and Kashmir region
witnesses frequent terrorist attacks. To enhance safety and security, the bridge will be made of
63mm-thick special blast-proof steel. The concrete pillars of the bridge are designed to withstand
explosions. It is expected that the structure will be able to withstand earthquakes of magnitude
eight on Richter Scale and up to 40kg of TNT blasts.

A ring of aerial security will be provided to safeguard the bridge. An online monitoring and warning
system will be installed on the bridge to protect the passengers and train in critical conditions.
Footpaths and cycle trails will be provided adjacent to it. The bridge will be painted with a special
corrosion-resistant paint, which lasts for 15 years.

After many deliberations, taking into account aesthetics, economy, and availability of local expertise
and construction materials, the Chenab Bridge was designed as a large span single arch steel bridge
with approach viaducts on either side. The arch is two-ribbed, fabricated from large steel trusses.
The chords of the trusses are sealed steel boxes, internally stiffened and filled with concrete to assist
in controlling wind-induced forces on the bridge. Another advantage of concrete filling is that
internal painting will not be required.

The number of bearings has been minimized, particularly on the approach viaduct, through the use
of continuous construction. This is advantageous, as it reduces the maintenance and inspection
efforts, and improves the riding quality. The viaduct piers are of concrete, while the piers near the
arch are steel.

The design of major arch rail bridges requires considerations of a number of additional parameters,
such as fatigue, global stability, second order effects, composite action, etc. It also requires that such
a bridge is designed to achieve a consistent level of reliability for all load cases, and that the design
standards match the construction standards. Indian construction standards such as the Indian
Railway Standards (IRS), the Indian Road Congress (IRC) and the Indian Standards (IS) were found
inadequate for the large spans of the Chenab Bridge. For example, the Indian Railway Standards
(IRS) is primarily intended for simply supported bridges with spans up to 100m (although these have
been successfully used for higher spans up to 154m). The spans for the Chenab Bridge greatly exceed
this limit, and are continuous. Therefore, to assure a safe design, Indian national standards have
been supplemented with International standards such as British Standards (BS), International Union
of Railways (UIC) and Euro. Also, many global experts with versatile and relevant experience, have
been involved in order to facilitate making the project a success.

Following are some of the design considerations taken into account:

Limit state philosophy of design has been decided to be followed as per BS codes

Computation of wind load effects as per wind tunnel tests

Site specific seismic spectra developed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee

Provision of Euro code 8 for ductility detailing of very tall and hollow rectangular RCC piers

Provision of long welded rail (LWR) over the bridges and resulting force calculation as per UIC – 774-
3R guidelines

Blast resistant design used

Design checking for fatigue as per BS codes

Deformation limits as per comfort criteria of UIC – 776-2R and UIC 776 -3R guidelines

Redundancy provided in the structures, for lower level of operation during mishaps and against
collapse in extreme cases of one pier failure

The Quality aspect has been emphasised, as the quantum of fabrication and welding is colossal.
Mostly indigenous material compliant to IS codes has been planned to be used, whereas for the
design, international codes have been referred, which means the Quality Control work is still
difficult.

Bridge construction and challenges faced:

Hilly region pose unique problem for bridge construction. In a restricted hilly area itself climatic
conditions, geological features and hydrological parameters vary considerably. Keeping in view the
bridge site and various constraints, type of bridge and method of construction are to be selected
carefully for safe, economical and successful completion of bridge construction.

Various challenges that come across while constructing bridges in hilly area are

1. Construction of bridge across deep gorges

2. Construction of bridge on rivers with bouldary beds

3. Construction of bridges in extreme temperature zones

4. Construction of bridges on sharp turn on highway

5. Landslide or Debris flow

Deep gorges, rivers with bouldary beds, extremely low temperature condition, high winds, landslide
etc. in hilly regions require special attention to complete the activities of bridge planning and
construction in a systematic way.

The bridge is being constructed in one of the most complicated and isolated terrains. One of the
biggest challenges involved was construction of the bridge without obstructing the flow of the river.
Approach roads, five kilometres in length, were constructed to reach the foundations of the bridge.

The deck of the bridge is partly in straight horizon and partly in curves. It is located on a transition
curve with changing radius. Construction is therefore being carried out in stages following the
gradual change in the alignment. This is the first time a bridge is being constructed incrementally on
a transition curve.

Cable cranes and derrick will be used to construct the bridge. The cable cranes used for the project
will be the largest in the world.

Construction of the bridge is expected to require 25,000MT of steel, 4,000mt of reinforced steel,
46,000m³ of concrete and eight million cubic metres of excavation. The construction of the bridge
was discontinued in 2008 due to alignment and safety issues. It was resumed in 2010, with
estimated completion in 2015, which was subsequently pushed to 2019. The erection of 5,462MT of
the 9,010MT of steel was completed as of January 2020, which marked the completion of 83% of the
construction work.

Contractors involved in constructing the Indian bridge

Amberg Engineering was appointed to carry out review work of the alignments. Konkan Railway
Corporation is executing the project. Design and construction of the bridge was awarded to a joint
venture of Afcons Infrastructure, Ultra Construction & Engineering Company of South Korea and VSL
India in 2004.

Finland-based WSP Group and Germany-based Leonhardt Andra and Partners are the consultants for
the project. VCE Consult ZT-GmbH designed the pylons of the bridge. Jochum Andreas Seiltransporte
installed the cables for the pylon. AkzoNobel was awarded the painting services contract for the
bridge.

AECOM was awarded a contract to provide technical guidance and monitoring services for design
and construction works. The scope includes engineering services, proof-checking the project
drawings and design, ground engineering, planning and consulting.

REFERENCES:
"Quixplained: Chenab arch bridge which will connect Kashmir to Kanyakumari". Indian Express. 7
April 2021.

"Chenab rail bridge to be ready by next year". Times of India, 2 August 2020.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257725212_Conceptual_Design_of_the_Chenab_Bridge_
in_India

https://www.tekla.com/uk/resources/references/chenab-bridge-soars-through-construction-
process-thanks-to-brim