Predictive Computer Program for Proactive Demolition Planning

Bridges represent a significant subpopulation of civil infrastructure. Majority of them are deteriorating fast and in need of replacement or rehabilitation. The first step of those replacement/rehabilitation projects is typically to either entirely or partly demolish the existing structure. Therefore, proactive planning for controlled demolition is of utmost importance to proceed with the rest of construction project in a timely manner. Maintaining the integrity of neighboring infrastructure, e.g., permanent roadways, nearby transmission lines, and the safety of workers are critical issues, for which contingency plans also must be developed based on any feasible emergency scenarios. It is typically hard to develop a general guideline/specification that can facilitate safe and efficient demolition, and very limited information has been available to guide structural engineers and contractors on how to proceed with the demolition of an existing structure. This lack of generalized procedure has led to structural engineers and contractors approaching the demolition work differently, and as a result, most states neither specify parameters for demolition equipment nor require the submission of contractor qualifications with the demolition plans. The potential hazards and inefficiency may be better controlled and possibly eliminated by leveraging computer simulation that can help realistically predict the demolition process. However, such computer tools for simulation-aided demolition remain to be developed in the bridge engineering community. This study aims to enhance the predictive capabilities by exploring the numerical simulation techniques that can realistically model, simulate and visualize the bridge demolition, which will better support the engineers and contractors’ decision making.

• Record URL:
  https://abc-utc.fiu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2019/05/ABC-UTC-Final-Report_Demolition-posted.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Florida International University, Miami

  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
  Miami, FL  United States  33174

  Accelerated Bridge Construction University Transportation Center (ABC-UTC)

  Florida International University
  10555 W. Flagler Street
  Miami, FL  United States  33174

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Bakhtiari, Ali
  • 0000-0003-4286-5400
  • Lee, Seung Jae
  • 0000-0002-2180-3502
• Publication Date: 2019-5-31

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 116p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bridges; Demolition; Mathematical prediction; Planning; Simulation
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Construction; Highways; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01716081
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: ABC-UTC-2013-C3-FIU02
• Contract Numbers: DTRT13-G-UTC41
• Files: UTC, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Sep 13 2019 9:44AM