82 In Herentals, a project is underway to replace the existing railway bridge over the Albert Canal with a new bridge that is higher and longer. The primary objective of this project is to increase the navigable height of the bridges over the Albert Canal, thereby promoting water transport. The new bridge spans a length of 164 m and has a height of 30 m, making it the longest “isostatic” double-deck railway bridge in Belgium. It features a bowstring structure comprising two inclined arches, which helps minimize deformation caused by wind. Additionally, the bridge incorporates an orthotropic deck with a concrete slab to reduce the overall structural height. During the design process, the team initially utilized a 3D model with 1D elements, carefully selecting combinations to optimize and adjust the geometry. Subsequently, they developed a second 3D model comprising 2D plates and expanded the range of combinations considered. To manage the vast number of load combinations efficiently, they created a custom Python program, which facilitated the integration of these combinations into the SCIA Engineer model. The main challenge encountered while using SCIA Engineer was to optimise the millions of load combinations, the number of plates and the mesh refinement. SCIA Engineer proved to be highly useful in this regard. ARCHITECT – ENGINEER Infrabel SA – Tanguy Lyon Lynch OWNER De Vlaamse Waterweg nv GENERAL CONTRACTOR Aannemersconsortium TM Artes Roegiers - Aelterman - Taveirne CONSTRUCTION PERIOD 09/2022 - 12/2023 ENGINEERING COMPANY Infrabel S.A. Tanguy Lyon Lynch, Bert Cardinaels Frankrijkstraat 85 / Rue de France 85, Brussels, Belgium www.infrabel.be NEW RAILWAY BRIDGE Herentals, Belgium CIVIL STRUCTURES 2
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