West Point Bridge Designer 2002
West Point Bridge Designer (WPBD) Information
Vendor: Colonel Stephen Ressler, P.E., Ph.D.
Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering, United States Military Academy
Category: bridge design: single-span truss, single-span arch,
two-span truss
Platform(s): Windows
Licenses: freeware; available at http://bridgecontest.usma.edu/download.htm
Version: WPBD 2002
Help and Support: Indexed help available within the program.
West Point Bridge Designer Description
WPBD2002 can be used to create and test the strength of highway bridges without
performing trying mathematical equations. This tool allows users to work from
a variety of templates or to start from scratch. One downfall is that as a highway
bridge, the surface is level and cannot be altered for a rainbow-type arch,
limiting the use of the program. As design of a bridge progresses, the construction
cost is tabulated, figuring in the number and type of components used. This
software is available in updated versions online for personal use or in conjunction
with the West Point Bridge
Design contest.
WPBD Usage
What It Does
WPBD allows the designer to construct a bridge using easy-to-place, snap-to
grid joints and members. The animate feature illustrates the stress points along
members and joints with color-coded levels of stress.
How It Is Used
This software can be used to test existing bridge designs that span a gap of
40 meters and meet the other design specifications set forth by the West Point
Bridge Design Contest, and to create new bridge designs within the given parameters.
A version of this software is often used for projects in Statics 59:007.
Usage Information
Go to Start | All Programs | Engineering Software | WestPointBridgeDesigner to launch. If WPBD2002 has not run previously on the computer, it will need
to install itself, which takes no more than five minutes. Files may be saved
locally or to user home directory.
You may download WPBD for personal use.
The WPBD site includes information about the bridge design
contest.
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