Modelling the non-linear behaviour of the pot bearings of railway bridge KW51

Railway bridge KW51 in Leuven, Belgium, has been monitored since October 2018 with the aim of constructing a digital twin, i.e. a virtual representation that mimics the behaviour of the actual struc- ture. A linear finite element model of the bridge was updated using measurements carried out on the bridge. The pot bearings of the bridge, however, are found to behave in a non-linear way. This paper describes a methodology to account for this non-linear behaviour in the model, where friction in the bearings is accounted for by means of non-linear Bouc-Wen elements. The first results are presented, showing that the overall non-linear behaviour of the bearings during a train passage is well captured but that further research is needed to calibrate the model parameters.