Tragwerksertüchtigung am Beispiel einer Verbundbrücke

Exemplary strengthening of a composite bridge.

The viaduct of Rahmede was built in the years from 1965 to 1968 near Lüdenscheid in connection with the German freeway A 45. Due to its routing, the A 45 is also known as "Sauerland-Line" or "Queen of Motorways". It leads from Dortmund to Aschaffenburg and therefore connects the Ruhr-Area with the Rhine-Main-Region. Within a total length of 257 km, the viaduct of Rahmede is one of 73 bridges. The structure has to resist increasing stresses caused by the rising amount of traffic. For that reason existing bridges have to be checked in terms of load-bearing capacity and structural stability. In this context overloading has been recognized for the viaduct of Rahmede, which is why currently a strengthening concept is being worked out. Within this essay the existing bridge is being presented pointing out the overstressing of the structure. In addition the construction designed for strengthening purposes will be introduced focusing two details with regard to their stability behavior.