Publications

The Howe truss was patented in USA initially in 1840 and again in 1850 and went on to become one of the primary timber truss designs used in North America. The adaptation of the Howe truss in NSW into the two distinct forms known as the “Allan” and…

Great advances have been made in modular expansion joint technology since this most versatile type of joint was invented forty years ago, and the use of such joints, especially on very large bridges, has increased steadily. As a consequence,…

A Consortium of the Welding Technology Institute of Australia (WTIA) members consisting of Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), RailCorp, Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (RTA), and Transport Main Roads (TMR), Queensland has…

The paper summarizes laboratory tests carried out by RTA Bridge Engineering to investigate different factors affecting the reliability of bolted connections for bridge deck expansion joints. The test rig comprised steel plates bolted to a large…

Modular bridge expansion joints (MBEJs) are utilised when the movement range at a bridge expansion gap exceeds around 300 mm, with the largest MBEJ installed to date accommodating a movement range in excess of 2100 mm. Traditionally MBEJs have been…

This paper deals with an experimental investigation of a new type of composite bridge using fully prefabricated concrete elements, which shortens the construction time and hence reduces production and economic costs.

Fingerplate bridge deck joints used worldwide to span medium to large expansion joint gaps are usually anchored to concrete decks with debonded through-bolts or sleeved bolts with embedded threaded ferrules. The current approach used by Roads and…

RTA’s bridge design engineers have identified that the current capacity reduction factors for cast iron specified in AS 5100.6 are inordinately low compared to those for other engineering metals such as structural steels and wrought iron. The…

In modern bridge structures, bridge bearings and expansion joints are commonly the source of most maintenance and performance issues. In some situa-tions their performance can lead to the closure/failure of major structures, and their maintenance…

In cable stayed bridges corrosion and fatigue as well as extreme loadings such as earthquake, lightning strike and blast may lead to loss of cables. The vulnerability of cable stayed bridges for such cable loss scenarios has not been thoroughly…