Innovative Computational Support in Bridge Aesthetics

Abstract

Bridge aesthetics, an area of great interest to engineers, is recognized as a difficult area to research because of its subjective nature and ill-defined concepts. An innovative computational decision support tool for use in bridge aesthetics is described. The system contains a knowledge base created by using an extensive literature survey and by completing in-depth knowledge elicitation from leading bridge designers in the United Kingdom and with the support of the Department of Transport. To further validate the knowledge base, the rules elicited from the designers were tested against public opinion through a series of questionnaires. This procedure enabled the construction of a knowledge base that supports many aspects of aesthetics for small- to medium-sized span road bridges. This limited domain was chosen because this form of bridge is currently the most commonly constructed in Britain, yet generally receives little attention in terms of aesthetics because of time and economic constraints. The knowledge base has been incorporated into a system aimed at providing interactive advice on comparative bridge design. The system was developed in Visual C + + to run on a personal computer and to operate in a Windows environment. It is currently undergoing prolonged evaluation in practicing bridge design offices. To date, this evaluation has shown that engineers like the system and would find it useful. Therefore, commercial exploitation is currently being explored. The comments received during the evaluation are also being used to further tailor the system to suit practicing engineers' needs.

A fuzzy integrated methodology for evaluating conceptual bridge design

“…This system was extracted from several experts and was verified with the original experts, independent experts and potential users. Moore, Miles, and Evans (1996) demonstrated the KBS for assessing the bridge aesthetics and checking the correctness of the experts' rules for small to medium size. Boulanger and Hirt (1998) proposed a multi-sourced knowledge acquisition approach with application to human-based explanations in order to develop a design tool called FIBRES.…”

“…Within comparative sessions, the team was presented with various criteria that had emerged from a careful review of literature (Demetrios & Jim, 2006;Hong et al, 2002;Indiana Department of Transportation, 2009;Jonathan et al, 2004;Massachusetts Highway Department, 2005;Moore et al, 1996;Reich, 1993;Tahouni, 2006;TxDOT Online Manuals, 2009;Wai-Fah & Lian, 2000). The type of superstructure chosen for each bridge was based on a variety of factors ranging from construction complexity considerations to personal preference.…”

A constraint‐based system for arranging bridge spans

“…Bridge aesthetics are mostly determined by, (1) the ratio of lengths of adjacent spans; (2) the ratio of lengths of adjacent spans constructed by a different method; (3) the symmetric or asymmetric shape in the longitudinal direction, and (4) the length of the central spans (Lee et al, 2000, Schlaich andScheef, 1982;Troitsky, 1994;Moore et al, 1996;Svensson, 2000). The aesthetic considerations are shown below.…”