Integrated design and analysis of cable supported bridges

The general computer aided structural design and analysis system IBDAS, developed by COWIconsult, is based on 3D parametric solid modeling and provides procedures for fully integrated design and analysis of bridges. The system includes facilities for handling of cable supported bridges and is presently being used in the detailed design of large span suspension bridges, e.g. the Great Belt Bridge in Denmark and the Hoga Kusten Bridge in Sweeden. These facilities includes calculation of the shape of the main cables and the corresponding cable forces, second order calculation of construction stages, free vibration analyses and wind gust analyses, automatic traffic load positioning and drawing generation. The integration of these facilities with the parametric modeling ensures a fast, faultless update of the design during the design process. Parametric studies can hereby be performed very easily.