Bridge and structural engineering services
Bridge design, railway bridges, seismic design, seismic isolation, incremental launching, advance cantilever, wind engineering, post-fire analysis
Steel composite bridges
From 30 to 90 meter spans (and even more) composite steel bridges can be very competitive in front of conventional prestressed concrete bridges when fast erection is needed and when topographical constraints asks for solutions that are independent on the possibilities of scaffolding.
Our designers have strong experience in the design of composite steel box girders, I beam bridges or ladder bridges, both with simple and double composite action for highway or for railway use. From feasibility to detail design and including definition of shop-drawings and specifications for the steel shop you can trust us for all the process of design.
Incremental launching
Advance cantilever
The incremental launching method (ILM) is a competitive technique for the construction of prestressed concrete bridges (and eventually also for steel composite bridges). At BEWS our engineers can help you in all the design stages of an ILM bridge, from the conceptual phases of design (requirements for alignment, spaces behind the abutments) to detail design and design of the launching equipment.
Prestressed concrete bridges built by the advance cantilever method are probably the most competitive bridges regarding cost in the span range 100-160m.
Our engineers in BEWS have participated in the detail design of an important number of PC advance cantilever bridges during the last few years. They can help you in all phases of design and they can definitely add value to your solutions.
Railway bridges
Railway functionality demands make railway bridge design significantly different from road bridge design. Railway structures are more rigid vertically but specially horizontally to fulfill the requirements of rail-structure interaction, as defined in EN1990 or UIC 774-3R.
For more than 20 years, our engineers have designed railway bridges of all structural types and in all types of conditions. Let it be steel or composite, prestressed concrete, advance cantilever, incremental launching, precast,in-situ, conventional or singular in BEWS we can assist you in all phases of design, from the feasibility studies to detail design. Following all types of standards, from EN and BS to Arema.
Seismic isolation
Seismic isolation consists in changing the vibration period of a structure to reduce the effects of seismic accelerations (by moving to the long period region of pseudoseismic spectra). The reduction in forces can be also further enhanced by considering additional damping. Important savings can be obtained in the quantities in piers and foundations.
Our engineers work in the detail design of structures in seismic areas since 2006. We have designed all types of structures by making use of seismic isolation concepts. We regularly use in our designs high damping rubber bearings, lead rubber bearings, fluid viscous dampers, prestressed fluid dampers or elastoplastic devices. Furthermore, we have proven experience in the design of railway bridges in seismic prone areas using seismic isolation devices but respecting at the same time the strict conditions for rail-structure interaction posed by EN and UIC 774-3R. By comparison with a typical railway bridge design with q=1,50 a very strong reduction in the quantities for abutments, piers and foundation can be achieved.
Rehabilitation and strengthening
A majority of bridges and structures built 20, 50 or 100 years ago now need maintenance, rehabilitation and or strengthening. In BEWS we have the experience to assist you in your rehabilitation projects: we will assist you in the inspection phase, we will help you to gather all possible information, we will develop structural models and we will evaluate remaining life for you steel structures concerning fatigue and will propose eventual strengthening concepts for rehabilitation for the piers and infrastructure and for the deck.
Wind engineering
Wind engineering was developed in the aftermath of the failure of Tacoma Narrows bridge on November 7, 1940 to analyse the effects of aeroelasticity on the behaviour of slender structures. Wind forces depends on the shape of the bodies but on the movements and their velocities and this can generate vibrations and oscillations that can be unstable (flutter, torsional divergence, galloping) or that can cause fatigue and comfort problems (vortex shedding vibrations, buffetting).
At BEWS our engineers are experts in wind engineering analysis. We can help you to control these phenomena when designing slender structures and we can guide you to plan your wind tunnel test or CFD studies and to interpret and analyse the outcomes of the results from an engineering design view point.
Post-fire analysis
Post-fire forensic engineering is of paramount importance to analyze the possibilities of reconstruction of large buildings after a fire event. By analysing the fire causes and its development maximum temperatures in the structural elements can be inferred and remaining strength characteristics can be evaluated in all affected elements. Elements can be classified according to their damage and a strategy of reconstruction can be determined by re-using as much elements as possible.
After a fire destroyed Jeddah railway station, our engineers decisively participated in the post-fire assessment evaluation of all structural and architectural elements of the station and led the reconstruction design of the new station.
Singular structures
Let it be a bow-string, a modern net-arch bridge, a cable-stayed bridge or an extradosed bridge, we have participated during the last years in the design and construction of all these types of structures and we can collaborate with you at all stages of design and construction, from feasibility and planning or competition, to tender design, to detail design and technical assistance at the site. We have the knowledge. Let us help you
