Abstract: A lightweight steel–ultrahigh performance concrete (UHPC) composite deck (LWCD) was developed for alleviating deterioration issues in orthotropic steel decks (OSDs). In recent years, the LW...

Abstract: Deck building is a crucial component in playing Collectible Card Games (CCGs). The goal of deck building is to choose a fixed-sized subset of cards from a large card pool, so that they work well together in-game against specific opponents. Existing methods either lack flexibility to adapt to different opponents or require large computational resources, still making them unsuitable for any real-time or large-scale application. We propose a new deck recommendation system, named Q-DeckRec, which learns a deck search policy during a training phase and uses it to solve deck building problem instances. Our experimental results demonstrate Q-DeckRec requires less computational resources to build winning-effective decks after a training phase compared to several baseline methods.

Abstract: In countries with steep rivers, such as Japan and the United States, bridges fail on an annual basis. Bridges on spread footings are especially susceptible to failure by hydrodynamic loading, often exacerbated by debris damming. Here, such failures are investigated via small scale model laboratory experiments and full scale numerical simulations. In the laboratory, lift and drag forces and overturning moment on bridge decks, piers, and deck-pier systems, are measured and compared with threshold of failure criteria used in design guidelines. Effects of debris on lift, drag, and moment, as well as three-dimensional effects, are quantified. Via numerical simulations, flow patterns and free surface behaviour responsible for these forces are investigated, and described in a framework as a function of the water depth, flow speed, deck clearance, and girder height. Results show that current guidelines are non-conservative in some cases. Importantly, failure of both decks and piers can be prevented by strengthening pier-deck connections, or by streamlining decks.

Abstract: Deterioration of existing bridge decks, which usually originates with the deck cracking on the top surface, is a common problem in North America. It causes frequent repair of the decks to limit fur...

Abstract: The long-span steel bridge has experienced a rapid growth in China during the last two decades. Steel deck surfacing plays an important role in the durability of long-span steel bridges. So...

Abstract: Many bridges are exposed to snow and ice during the winter. As snow and ice accumulate over the bridge’s concrete deck, deicing salts are usually spread on the bridge deck to remove and dissolve the snow and ice. Deicing salts form a chloride solution that penetrate through the concrete and cause corrosion in reinforcing steel and deterioration in concrete. In order to decrease the chloride ingress into the concrete, sealers are applied over the concrete deck surface. It is critical to extend the life of the concrete bridge deck as deck replacement is very time consuming and expensive. The primary objective of this project was to develop a guide for using deck and crack sealers. In this research, five deck sealers and six crack sealers were applied on two different type of concrete that are commonly used in Northern Nevada: American ReadyMix and 3D Ready-Mix. The effectiveness and performance of commercially available deck and crack sealers were assessed by laboratory tests. The sealers were chosen according to criteria that are discussed in this report. Five deck sealers were subjected to three laboratory tests that were conducted at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and a freeze/thaw test conducted in a company in Denver, Colorado. The specimens subjected to the freeze/thaw test were then sent back to UNR to complete testing. Six crack sealers underwent two laboratory tests conducted at UNR. All the tests were conducted according to ASTM, AASHTO, and NCHRP reports standards. In order to report the effect of the sealers, a comparison was made between specimens covered with sealers and control specimens (i.e. specimens without any sealers). Also, a comparison was made between all the sealers together, and the sealers were assigned into

Abstract: Innovative suspension structure with prestressed cable trusses as the main load-bearing members was developed. Cross-laminated timber panels of the deck are placed to the bottom chords of the prestressed cable trusses. The structure with the deck panels placed to the bottom chord with the clearances and behaves in bending in the transversal direction only, and the structure with the deck placed without clearances and behaves in bending in the transversal direction and in compression in longitudinal directions, are considered. The suspended pedestrian-bicycle bridge with the span and width equal to 60 and 5 m correspondingly and loaded by the imposed load 5 kN/m2, was considered as an object of investigation. The optimization algorithm of the innovative suspension structure with cross-laminated timber deck panels was developed using the program ANSYS v12 optimization tools. Rational values of crosssection areas of suspenders, main load-bearing and stabilization cables were evaluated. It was shown, that placement of the deck panels without clearances, when the panels behave in compression in the longitudinal direction and in bending in transversal direction enables to decrease materials consumption by 25% in comparison with the case when the panels are placed with clearances and behave in bending in transversal direction only. Аннотация. Предложена инновационная висячая конструкция с главными несущими элементами в виде предварительно напряженных вантовых ферм. Панели настила из склееных в двух перпендикулярных направлениях слоев досок размещены по нижнему поясу предварительно напряженных вантовых ферм. При этом рассмотрены варианты, когда панели настила размещены с зазорами и работают на изгиб только в поперечном направлении, а также вариант, когда панели размещены без зазоров и работают на сжатие в продольном направлении и на изгиб в поперечном. Подвесной пешеходно-велосипедный мост пролетом в 60 м и шириной в 5 м рассмотрен в качестве объекта исследования. Интенсивность полезной нагрузки принята равной 5 кН/м2. Для рассмотренной конструкции разработан алгоритм оптимизации с использованием програмного комплекса ANSYS v12. С помощью разработанного алгоритма определены рациональные с точки зрения расхода материала вант сечения верхнего и нижнего поясов, а также подвесок. Показано, что размещение панелей настила по нижнему поясу без зазоров, когда панели работают на сжатие в продольном направлении и на изгиб в поперечном, позволяет уменьшить на 25 % расход

Abstract: Track–bridge interaction under the seismic excitation is a dominant factor to the design and operation of railway bridges. A spatial model integrating rails, deck system, stringers, cross beams, suspenders, main trusses, piers and foundations was established in this paper, adopting non-linear springs to simulate the longitudinal resistance between the track and the bridge. The improved Penzien model was utilised to simulate the soil-pile interaction effect and a computer program was developed to generate artificial seismic waves. Comparison of natural vibration characteristics for the track–bridge system with and without considering the track constraint was made. Furthermore, the effects of sensitive parameters were investigated, including the ballast resistance, friction of movable bearings, location of rail expansion joint (REJ), etc. Present study results indicate that the track–bridge interaction enhances the structural integrity and induces relatively higher natural frequencies of the bridge....

Abstract: A jointless bridge could fundamentally eliminate vulnerable deck joints, thereby meeting the need for sustainable development of bridges, especially for an expressway with high-speed traffic. In this paper, one jointless bridge (deck-extension bridge) with a small box girder in an expressway was chosen as a case study to examine the structural design, construction and field test. The field tests of the bridge indicated that the designed and constructed structures can satisfy the requirement for service performance of the deck-extension bridge. Some key technologies, such as the position of longitudinal reinforcements in the superstructure-approach slab connections and the arrangement of the sliding material layers, were introduced. The longitudinal thermal movement of the superstructure in the deck-extension bridge with a small box girder could be predicted accurately by using the average temperature of the cross section of a small box girder. The finite element model, built by using the MIDAS program, was used to analyze the temperature distribution on the cross section of a small box girder, the accuracy of which could be verified by comparing with the measured values. The maximum longitudinal thermal movement of the superstructure in deck-extension bridges with a small box girder under historically extreme temperature conditions was predicted.

Abstract: Failures of coastal low-lying bridges in the United States along the Gulf Coast have attracted substantial research interest. Many of the failures were associated with twin-deck bridges. Th...