This paper presents a procedure to optimize a conceptual ship side structure from a crashworthiness point of view. As an example, this procedure is presented for a chemical or product tanker. A particle swarm optimization algorithm is used for the procedure. The classification society compliance of the conceptual design is checked through service loads that are applied to the ship’s hull girder...

The research described in this paper focuses on the application of modal strain techniques on a multi-girder bridge superstructure with the objectives of identifying the presence of damage and detecting false damage diagnosis for such structures. The case study is a one-third scale model of a slab-on-girder composite bridge superstructure, comprised of a steel-free concrete deck with FRP rebars...

Slab-girder structures composed of steel girder and reinforced concrete slab are widely used in buildings and bridges in the world. Their advantages are largely based on the composite action through the shear connection between slab and girder. In order to assess the integrity of this kind of structures, numerous vibration-based damage identification methods have been proposed. In this study, a...

Geometric nonlinearity of self-anchored cable-stayed suspension bridges is studied in this paper. The repercussion of shrinkage and creep of concrete, rise-to-span ratio, and girder camber on the system is discussed. A self-anchored cable-stayed suspension bridge with a main span of 800 m is analyzed with linear theory, second-order theory, and nonlinear theory, respectively. In the condition o...

60 A practical approach to the optimal design of precast, prestressed concrete highway bridge girder systems is presented. The approach aims at standardizing the optimal design of bridge systems, as opposed to standardizing girder sections. Structural system optimization is shown to be more relevant than conventional girder optimization for an arbitrarily chosen structural system. Bridge system...