Bridges constitute an expensive segment of construction projects; the optimization of their designs will affect their high cost. Segmental precast concrete bridges are one of the most commonly serviced bridges built for mid and long spans. Genetic algorithm is one of the most widely applied meta-heuristic algorithms due to its ability in optimizing cost. Next to providing cost optimization of t...

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past earthquakes have demonstrated that old rc bridges may be seismically vulnerable. bridge responses during the last decades illustrated the necessity of the seismic assessment of bridges especially those which were designed with old codes. in this research an existing concrete bridge representative of the most common bridges in the highway system in iran are studied. push over and nonlinear ...

Design optimization of cable-stayed bridges is a challenging optimization problem because a large number of variables is usually involved in the optimization process. For these structures the design variables are cross-sectional areas of the cables. In this study, an efficient metaheuristic algorithm namely, momentum search algorithm (MSA) is used to optimize the design of cable-stayed bridges....

Polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate polymers (poly-HEMA) form hydrogels that provide an excellent alternative to agar in the production of salt bridges for use in bioelectrochemical experiments. A method for the simple production of poly-HEMA salt bridges is described. The poly-HEMA bridges were compared with agar bridges of similar geometry. Whereas poly-HEMA salt bridges have a conductivity that is ...

corrosion of steel reinforcement is one of the most prevalent causes of reinforced concrete (rc) structures deterioration in chloride-contaminated environments. as a result, evaluating the impact of any possible corrosion-induced damages to reinforced concrete bridges strongly affects management decisions: such as inspection, maintenance and repair actions. the corrosion propagation phase is a ...

a reliability analysis of suspension bridges against buffeting failure due to gustiness of wind velocity is carried out using the concept of pra (probabilistic risk analysis) procedure. for this purpose, the bending stresses at the critical nodes of the bridge deck are obtained for buffeting forces using a spectral analysis technique and a finite element approach. for the purpose of reliability...

ABsrnAcr.-Rafinesque's big-eared bats (Cc1)'llOrhinus mjinesquit) use bridges as day roosts in parts of their range, but information on bridge use across their range is lacking. From May to Aug. 2002 we surveyed 1129 bridges (12.5%) within all 46 counties of South Carolina to determine use and selection of bridges as day roosts by big-eared bats and to document their distribution across the sta...

Highway bridges are frequently constructed as simple span structures with steel or concrete girders and a cast-in-place concrete deck, spanning from one pier to another. At each end of the simple span deck, a joint is provided for deck movement due to temperature, shrinkage, and creep. Bridge deck joints are expensive and pose many problems with regard to bridge maintenance. Elimination of deck...