Efficient numerical approaches for the design of reinforced concrete rail bridges

The design of a rail bridge is an increasingly complex process where various constraints and uncertainties need to be integrated. Specifications are given in terms of geometrical and material properties but also in terms of a given level of performance to be guaranteed during a given period. Performance can be about structural safety, environmental impact, construction and maintenance costs, end-user satisfaction, and so on. Also, rail infrastructure assets need to comply with specific design standards.For a designer, it is therefore necessary to explore various design scenarios and to assess and convey the performance of each of them. This allows for comparing scenarios and eventually for selecting the best of them. Considering the high dimension of the problem, the designer needs to communicate with other stakeholders to validate and possibly update the space of possible scenarios to be explored. The designer also needs to be assisted by computational simulation to build the space of solutions where the best scenario is to be sought.