Started my second rating today. The bridge is located in Newport RI and is near "THE" Newport bridge which I inspected a few weeks ago.
The bridge consists of ten rolled steel beams which span 86'-1" and carries RI 138 with a composite concrete deck and asphalt wearing surface. The bridge has a line of summitry along the median which made the rating slightly easier from a ten beam system to two five beam systems. I ended up choosing a typical exterior and interior beam and both fascia beams which displayed section loss at the abutments.
After choosing the beams to rate, I calculated the dead loads and live load factors and then I calculated the equivalent plate geometry to account for beams with section losses. Since BRASS-GIRDER does not include a command for section loss the beams were modeled as plate girders with section properties that compare to the rolled beam.
I then moved onto setting up the BRASS-Girder input file, which were broken down into as built and as inspected for those with section loss.
