Development of Standardized Bridge Systems

Transcription

1 Development of Standardized Bridge Systems By Vijaya (VJ) Gopu, Ph.D., P.E. Civil and Environmental Engineering Department The University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, Alabama Prepared by UTCA University Transportation Center for Alabama The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama in Birmingham, and the University of Alabama in Huntsville UTCA Project Number March 31, 2004

2 Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No FHWA/CA/OR- 4. Title and Subtitle Development of Standardized Bridge Systems 7. Authors Vijaya (VJ) Gopu 9. Performing Organization Name and Address Civil and Environmental Engineering Department The University of Alabama in Huntsville Huntsville, AL Sponsoring Agency Name and Address University Transportation Center of Alabama Box , 271 H.M. Comer Hall The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL Government Accession No. 3. Recipient Catalog 5. Report Date April Performing Organization Code 8. Performing Organization Report No. UTCA Report Work Unit No. 11. Contract or Grant No. HPP-1602(524) 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 14. Sponsoring Agency Code 15. Supplementary Notes 16. Abstract More than a quarter of the nearly 600,000 bridges in the United States are either structurally deficient (cannot support their design loads) or functionally obsolete (cannot handle current traffic volumes or vehicle sizes safely and efficiently). The billions of dollars spent on repairs by various state and federal agencies have helped, but have not alleviated the overall problem. It is not uncommon in parts of Alabama to find school buses being driven extra distances to avoid bridges that have been posted as structurally deficient. This problem is serious for both on- and off-system bridges. Counties are especially hard hit and are grappling with issues of safety and aging bridges. Agencies need better tools to manage their bridge systems. These tools should address better and more-rapid bridge rating, funding decision methodologies, and methods for rapid design and construction of bridges. The focus of this research effort was the development of a computer-aided tool that facilitates selection of standardized bridge systems for rapid design and replacement or construction of bridges. The availability of standardized systems and the ability to access information on these systems can significantly enhance the capabilities of bridge design professionals at the state, region and local levels. 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement Bridges, standardized-bridges, construction, abutment, beam, bent, bearing, deck, joint, pier, pile, retaining walls 19. Security Classif. (of this report) Unclassified Form DOT F (8-72) 20. Security Class this page) Unclassified 21. No of Pages Pric ii

3 Contents Contents Tables Figures... Executive Summary iii iv iv v 1.0 Introduction Objectives Background Project Tasks Development of database Installing the Selection Tool Package Procedure for modifying database Use of interface Sample drawing Software packages utilized in the project Potential benefits of the project Conclusion References iii

4 List of Tables Table Page 3-1 Procedure for updating tables Procedure for installing the selection tool Procedure for modifying the database Procedure for modifying the interface 11 List of Figures Figure Page 3-1 Layout of the drawing links table Layout of the components table Layout of the states table The standardized bridges setup wizard confirming to begin the installation process The standardized bridges setup wizard showing the change directory option and confirming to begin the installation process The standardized bridges setup showing the errors recovered while registering Control panel folder showing the ODBC data sources icon ODBC data source administrator for adding a database ODBC administrator showing all types of data sources that can be added Form for entering the name of the data source and prompting the location of the data source ODBC administrator showing the added database User interface for the project State combo box Error handler Components combo box Sample drawing in Microstation Sample drawing in Adobe Acrobat Sample drawing in Paint.. 15 iv

5 Executive Summary More than a quarter of the nearly 600,000 bridges in the United States are either structurally deficient (cannot support their design loads) or functionally obsolete (cannot handle current traffic volumes or vehicle sizes safely and efficiently). The billions of dollars spent on repairs by various state and federal agencies have helped, but have not alleviated the overall problem. It is not uncommon in parts of Alabama to find school buses being driven extra distances to avoid bridges that have been posted as structurally deficient. This problem is serious for both on- and off-system bridges. Counties are especially hard hit and are grappling with issues of safety and aging bridges. Agencies need better tools to manage their bridge systems. These tools should address better and more-rapid bridge rating, funding decision methodologies, and methods for rapid design and construction of bridges. The focus of this research effort was the development of a computer-aided tool that facilitates selection of standardized bridge systems for rapid design and replacement or construction of bridges. The availability of standardized systems and the ability to access information on these systems can significantly enhance the capabilities of bridge design professionals at the state, region and local levels. v

6 1.0 Introduction Objective The focus of this research effort was the development of a computer-aided tool to facilitate selection of standardized bridge systems for rapid design and replacement/construction of bridges. The availability of these standardized systems and the ability to access information on these systems can significantly enhance the capabilities of bridge design bureaus at the state, county and city levels to expedite the design process and reduce the start-to-finish time for bridge construction. Need for the Study The country s aging highway infrastructure places a significant demand on resources for upgrading, replacing and rehabilitating bridges that are too weak, dilapidated or overburdened for current traffic. With more than a quarter of the nation s bridges falling in the structurally deficient category (TRIP, 2003), it is important to find cost-effective and efficient methods to address bridge infrastructure problems. The availability of standardized bridge systems can permit bridge engineers to engage in rapid design, selection and construction of bridges. These systems will contribute to cost-effective and efficient design/construction methods. The Michigan State Highway Department pioneered the use of standardized designs for concrete bridges. By the early 1920s the department had established standardized plans (Michigan Historical Markers, 2003) for camelback spans of 50, 60, 70, 75, and 90 feet. The standardized plans fit most needs for medium-size bridges. For example, if a county needed to construct a bridge but did not have the qualified personnel to carry out the design, it could take an alternate route by utilizing one of the standardized bridge plans developed by the highway department. According to South Dakota officials (Janklow, 1999), over a five-year period 24 bridge projects were based on standardized plans. This yielded a total savings of about $700,000 in design costs. That is an average savings of $140,000 per a year, enough to pay for one additional small bridge or box culvert each year. Most transportation departments (DOTs) have their own standardized bridge system; however, there is no national composite database of standardized bridge systems used by the various DOTs. An effort to compile every DOT s standardized bridges systems and make them accessible via a computer-aided tool was the primary objective of this project. Such a computeraided tool could make a wide spectrum of standardized bridge systems and components accessible to bridge design professionals, thereby significantly reducing design time. The bridge selection tool developed in this project consists of: (a) a database of information on various standardized bridge components and systems used throughout the country; (b) a user interface to access the database; (c) links to the design drawings for the various standardized bridge components and systems; and (d) a help file for installing the selection tool and associated applications. 1

7 2.0 Background A third of the time taken in construction of a bridge is absorbed in the planning and design process. If this time can be reduced, it will significantly enhance the ability to address aging infrastructure problems. The advent of fairly sophisticated computer tools provides a head start toward design and allows designers to take full advantage of the body of existing bridge knowledge accumulated by DOTs. To facilitate use of standardized bridge systems developed by different DOTs across the nation, a computer-aided tool was developed during this project. The utilization of well-proven, standardized bridge systems will greatly reduce design time and will meet the objective of this project. 2

8 3.0 Project Tasks The various project tasks undertaken to develop the computer-aided selection tool for standardized bridges are discussed below. 3.1 Development of the Database The database contains standard drawings of various bridge components. The drawings were acquired through an extensive Internet search. Links to various DOT websites accessed during this part of the project are listed section 8.2 of this report. The database was first generated using MS Excel, which provided a good start for the construction of the database. Further investigation found that MS Access was a superior database for this particular application and the database was switched to it. The final database contains information about bridge components and systems, with virtual links to a detailed drawing each individual component and system. MS Access Database The database houses a collection of standard drawings available from various DOTs across the nation. The various bridge components were obtained during the extensive search on the Web. The structure of the database consists of three tables dealing with: Drawing links Components corresponding to the links States associated with the links The drawing links table consists of key information about multiple bridge components, namely, component type, span, dimension, depth, skew, origin of the standard drawing, and a short remark stating the contents of the standard drawing for that bridge component. The layout of the drawing link table is shown in Figure 3-1. The component table consists of information about the name of various components of a bridge. The layout of the components table is as shown in Fig 3-2. The States table consists of the names of all 50 states, and the acronyms of their respective DOT s. The layout of the states table is as shown in Fig 3-3. The database was constructed in a specific structure that should be maintained, so that the selection tool will continue to function properly. Updating the database The systematic procedure to update the various tables, and thereby the database, is presented in Table

9 Figure 3-1 Layout of the drawing links table Figure 3-2 Layout of the components table 4

10 Figure 3-3 Layout of the states table Table 3-1 Procedure for updating tables Updating the Drawing Links Table 1 The ID is generated automatically A drawing link name is added as follows: (DOT)-(component abbreviated)-n where the component abbreviations are: A = abutments and retaining walls (also other walls) B = bearings and joints b or be = beams D = decks and slabs F = footings P = piers and bents R = railings n = next number in the sequence on the existing list For example, the next line added to the table shown in Figure 3-1 for the component for an ALDOT retaining wall would be ALDOT-A-5. The component s span, dimensions, depth, skew, and loading in the format and style as shown in Figure 3-1. A remark is added to provide the drawing details, DOT name, and component name (component table), using the style and format of Figure 3-1. Updating the Component Table The name of the new component is entered under the column name component. 5

11 The updated (or existing) database must be saved in the same folder as the other files. Care must be taken to ensure that there are no conflicts in the information entered in all tables. For example, the abutment component must be entered in identical form in the other tables with respect to upper or lower case, characters, spaces, etc. A mistake in the entry will result in the entry not being shown on the user interface when it is accessed. In addition, any change in the structure of the database might cause the database to malfunction, and the software to perform inefficiently. 3.2 Installing the Selection Tool Package The system package includes an installation file, which may be found under the name stdbridges_package in the CD. The installation files are saved in two formats: 1) A setup file that requires an extensive memory unit (i.e., a hard disk). 2) The setup file can also be stored as zip files (i.e., standa1, standa2), which reduces file size so they can be stored on floppy disks. The setup file installs all *.dll (dynamic link library) files required for the proper function of the execution file, the project database and the execution file that interfaces to access data from the database. All *.dll files are necessary to make the package compatible to any computer. The steps used in installation are shown in Table 3-2. Table 3-2 Procedure for installing the selection tool 1 Double click the Setup file. 2 Select OK to begin the installation process, as shown in Figure 3-4. Enter the directory information for the folder you created for the system software, for example c:/aldot/uah. 3 (Figure 3-5) 4 Click the setup button to begin installation )Figure 3-5). 5 Click continue to accept the program group. 6 Click ignore to ignore all errors recovered while registering in the system registry (Figure 3-6). 7 Click OK to complete the installation process. Move all files in the CD-ROM (except the installation files located in the stdbridges_package folder of the 8 CD_ROM) to the folder you created in step 3 of this table. Next, add the database before accessing files from the user interface. The database adding procedure is as explained in Section 3.3 of this report. 6

12 Figure 3-4 The standardized bridges setup wizard confirmation to begin the installation process Figure 3-5 The standardized bridges setup wizard showing the change directory option and confirmation to begin the installation process 7

13 Figure 3-6 The standardized bridges setup showing the errors recovered while registering 3.3 Procedure for Modifying the Database The database must be added into the system before accessing the drawings and other information. This is done only once, after the package and components are installed on the computer. The step-by-step procedure for adding the database is listed in Table 3-3. Table 3-3 Procedure for modifying the database 1 Select the Windows "start" menu, then settings, and control panel. 2 Select ODBC Data sources (in *Administrative tools folder) as shown in Figure Click add to add the database, as shown in Figure Select Microsoft Access Driver [*.mdb] and click finish as shown in Figure Enter the data source name as STDBRIDGES in the Data Source Name field, as shown in Figure Click the select button as shown in Figure Set the path to locate the database file as described in step 3 of Table 3-2, and select stdbridges.mdb file to 7 add the database. 8 Click ok to see STDBRIDGES as included as a database (Figure 3-11). 9 Click ok to confirm the addition of the database. * For systems having Windows 2000 and other versions. 8

14 Figure 3-7 Control panel folder showing the ODBC data sources icon Figure 3-8 ODBC data source administrator for adding a database 9

15 Figure 3-9 ODBC administrator showing all types of data sources that can be added Figure 3-10 Form for entering the data source name and prompting the location of the data source 10

16 Figure 3-11 ODBC administrator showing the added database 3.4 Use of Interface The execution file is part of the installed system package. The executable file (StandardBridges_ver2.exe) that retrieves information from the database and links the table to the drawings is the user interface in this project. This is an executable output file programmed in Visual Basic 6.0. The user interface conducts the search for a required component and associated links for obtaining the design drawings, for reviewing the design drawings, for formatting the files (into MS flex grid) and for accessing them for viewing in the search field. No modification of the execution file is required to add new files to the database and to access them. The exact steps for modifying the database are shown in Table 3-4. Table 3-4 Procedures for modifying the interface 1 Start at the user interface (Figure 3-12)/ 2 Select the required state information from the state combo box, as shown in Figure An error message is generated, as shown in Figure 3-14, if no information is available for the selected state. Otherwise, the primary search is accomplished for available component details, and the results appear in 4 the component combo box, as shown in Figure Select a component, as shown in Figure Click the search button located on the main form to search the database (Figure The queried results are shown in the search field, with the help of a flex grid (Figure 3-12). 8 Select a particular item for viewing and click the go button to view the file. 9 Repeat step 8 to view other files. 10 To exit the execution file, click the exit button (Figure 3-12) 11

17 Figure 3-12 User interface for the project Figure 3-13 State combo box 12

18 Figure 3-14 Error handler Figure 3-15 Components combo box. 13

19 4.0 Sample Drawings The drawings of various components present in the database can be viewed using software processors like Microstation, Adobe Acrobat and any tiff image viewer. Examples are shown in Figures 4-1 through 4-3. Figure 4-1 Sample drawing in Microstation 14

20 Figure 4-2 Sample drawing in Adobe Acrobat Figure 4-3 Sample drawing in Paint (tiff format) 15

21 5.0 Software Packages Utilized in the Project The two software packages shown below were utilized to develop the standardized bridge selection tool: 1) Microsoft Access 2) Microsoft Visual Basic The software packages that can be used to open the drawings are: 1) Microstation (ext dgn) 2) Adobe Acrobat (ext pdf) 3) Any photo editor supporting the tiff format All of these are standard software tools commercially available anywhere in Alabama. 16

22 6.0 Potential benefits of the project This computer-aided standardized bridge selection tool will significantly reduce bridge design time. This tool is unique, and makes it possible for DOT engineers to review all standardized drawings available at the nation s DOTs in a minimal amount of time. The efficiency offered by this tool will be particularly attractive to DOT engineers and design consultants. The tool requires minimum learning time and can be readily updated as additional information comes on line. 17

23 7.0 Conclusion A computer aided selection tool that facilitates rapid selection of standardized bridge systems and components has been developed using MS Access and Visual Basic software packages. For the first time, a software package will make standardized bridge design plans available round the country at various DOTs. They will be accessible to design professionals at the local, state and national level. The results of this project should significantly reduce design time, increase, and produce cost saving in the nation s effort to upgrade aging infrastructure. 18

24 8.0 References 8.1 Reference Materials Janklow, William, New Bridge Design Will Save Enough Money to Fund More Bridges for Local Governments, Governors Press Release, Pierre, South Dakota, September 22, The Michigan Historical Markers Web Site, accessed September 2003 TRIP, The Road Information Program, Washington, D.C., accessed September Websites That Provided Project Resources Standards%20Index.htm

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