Assessment of Old Steel Bridges, Germany

The importance of the assessment of old steel bridges has increased over the last years in Germany, because not all of these bridges can be replaced within a short time. This paper gives some experiences that have been gained regarding typical aspects of modelling of old bridge structures. Moreover, general methods are explained on how to calculate the remaining fatigue life of steel road bridges and the new normative algorithm to calculate the remaining fatigue life of steel railway bridges operated by the Deutsche Bahn AG (German Railway Company). The assessment of two road, and two railway bridges is included to explain some typical problems associated with old steel bridges.