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The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s), who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes only and is not to be considered an endorsement.

Title:

Rating and Analysis of Continuous Girder Bridges

Authors:

H. Celik Ozyildirim

Year:	1980

VTRC No.:	80-R47
Abstract:	Federal regulations prompted as a result of bridge failures require the rating of bridge structures for which federal funds will be utilized for rehabilitation and replacement. The large number of bridges in Virginia subject to being rated makes such a task time consuming and difficult to fulfill if manual procedures are to be used. Consequently, a study was initiated to investigate the possibility of developing an automated capability for the rating of continuous girder bridges. A review of existing computer programs capable of rating bridges was conducted. The best candidate program, BRASS, which is a widely used general purpose rating and analysis program, was modified for convenient use by bridge engineers. Because the cost of running this program was found to be very high, a second program, BRRAT, was investigated. BRRAT was found to cost much less than BRASS, but not to be as versatile.