Development of an Open Source Bridge Management System

The management of bridge structures in a transportation network typically relies on disparate modules for the evaluation of bridge performance, as defined by various limit state functions that may be used to prioritize bridges for repair. Most of these modules are based on software developed using a closed source model. Closed source software is difficult to customize for special bridge structures and/or advanced evaluation methodologies. Furthermore, it is difficult, if not impossible, to extend such software to incorporate the latest information technology for applications such as bridge health monitoring. This proposal aims to develop a bridge management system using an…

The management of bridge structures in a transportation network typically relies on disparate modules for the evaluation of bridge performance, as defined by various limit state functions that may be used to prioritize bridges for repair. Most of these modules are based on software developed using a closed source model. Closed source software is difficult to customize for special bridge structures and/or
advanced evaluation methodologies. Furthermore, it is difficult, if not impossible, to extend such software to incorporate the latest information technology for applications such as bridge health monitoring.

This proposal aims to develop a bridge management system using an open source model. The system will first be implemented for bridge rating, i.e., structural analyses to compare bridge capacity to demands imposed by vehicle traffic, in a client-server setting over the internet. Then, the incorporation of advanced bridge management applications will be explored, including the structural engineering applications of health monitoring, reliability, and optimization.
The string-based scripting language Tcl will be used as a glue to develop the proposed system. For bridge rating, specification-based procedures, e.g., those set out by AASHTO (2003) in LRFR, will be
implemented using functions in the Tcl language. Bridge analyses for vehicle loading will be carried out using the OpenSees finite element analysis framework, which is also an open source software system.
The intrinsic network programming capabilities of the Tcl language will enable the system to operate over the internet for health monitoring and to collect and store weigh-in-motion (WIM) data. Furthermore, with OpenSees as the computational engine for structural analysis, the system will be able to utilize finite element model updating strategies for state-of-the-art applications in reliability-based bridge rating and optimization.