This paper describes a case study of a novel teaching method where the “Teaching with Industry” (TWI) model–industry practitioners incorporated as co-instructors in a semester-long classroom setting–is enhanced by using new videoconferencing technologies such as Zoom and Meeting Owl Pro, and innovative classroom setups. This enhanced model was developed with the intent to bridge the gap between information acquired in the classroom and the skills and competencies required in the industry. The different teaching platforms not only facilitated the teaching when industry practitioners were/are not able to be physically present in the classroom, but also led to efficient organization of the different activities carried out in class. Results obtained from end-course surveys showed that students had a positive experience using Zoom and Meeting Owl Pro welcoming the opportunity to engage with industry practitioners and gain better understanding of the practical usefulness of the course.

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Unintended composite action between steel plate girders and concrete slab is a well‐recognized, but challenging aspect of evaluating highway bridge behaviour because the degree of slip between the slab and girder is difficult to predict. In this study, a method to evaluate the effect of unintended composite action using field testing is presented. The method is illustrated using a four‐span five girder highway bridge instrumented with strain gages at maximum positive and negative moment locations and subjected to a vehicle with a calibrated load. Results indicate that all the girders exhibited partial composite action. Measurement of composite action was less reliable when the instrumented location was not close to the load.

This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License CTCSE.MS.ID.000681.

This study examines the effect of bridge skew on the load rating and natural frequencies of a steel girder skewed highway bridge. The analytical load rating was determined based on a line-girder model and the AASHTO bridge design specification. The experimental load rating was determined based on a series of calibrated-weight truck runs. The analytical natural frequency was determined based on correlating the single span response to a continuous span response. The experimental natural frequency was obtained based on the free vibration response from the calibrated-weight truck. The frequency associated with the first spike of the frequency domain plot was identified using a Fast Fourier Transformation. The results show that the analytical load ratings and natural frequencies differed from the experimental values primarily due to effect of bridge skew, which caused the actual load path to be significantly shorter than the bridge span length that was used in the analytical calculations.