FAQ

Is it possible to obtain corresponding forces for different members?

Extended Question: In a bridge analysis, is it possible to find the max/min response in one member, and then using the case that causes the max/min force in that member to find the corresponding responses for the remaining members? In other words, is there any way to compute the bridge live load case that maximizes one response in one member, in order to use this LL case to compute the forces in the other elements?

Answer: The program can calculate corresponding forces for influence-based moving load analysis (the correspondence can be set via "Define > Bridge Loads > Bridge Responses"); however, the correspondence is reported for a given location. For example, you can obtain shear forces at midspan corresponding to the maximum moment at midspan. To obtain concurrent forces for different members, you could run step-by-step moving load analysis, identify the step that causes min/max forces in a given member and then review forces in other members of interest for that load step.