We recommend the users to develop a simple sketches of the bridge data that will be entered to the bridge modeler. These sketches together with hand calculation may serve as a documentation of the bridge model and they can be also used for troubleshooting. They can also speed up technical support, because the support engineers are provided the design intention. The sketches should contain the following information (please see the attached PDF file for sample bridge model documentation):

• Layout line geometry: plan and elevation
• bridge elevation, including span lengths, deck section properties, substructure units and [bearings]
• deck cross section, including total depth
• bearings: bearing property at each location, directions of unrestrained bearing movements, girder support condition
• substructure elevations sketch - for each support location, included the following: top of deck elevation, bottom of girder elevation, bottom of bearing elevation, top of seat elevation

The following information may be also provided, depending on the bridge type:

• baseline elevation at top of deck at each substructure element
• bents: show geometry, section properties for columns and cap beams

Verification of Bridge Dead Load

• The bridge deck section area is transformed into the base material. This should be taken into account when the verifying the weight of concrete bridges that use different concrete for the deck and the girders.

• [Haunch] weight is not included in the total reaction as the haunch is only used to offset the girders vertically by the haunch thickness. However, weight of the tendons is included when the tendons are modeled as elements.

• The shear forces reported on the "Bridge Object Response Display" form does not include the contribution from the tendons as the primary tendon force is removed from demand for flexural check.

Attachments

• [Troubleshooting Example - Sample Hand Calculations|Troubleshooting of bridge modeler models^Bridge modeler troubleshooting.pdf] (PDF Format, 407 kB)