Development of Bridge Rating Applications Using OpenSees and Tcl

Abstract

A bridge rating application is developed using the Tool Command Language (Tcl) scripting language in conjunction with the OpenSees finite-element software framework. Fully programmable and string based, Tcl is ideal for implementing live load analysis through scripts and experimenting with emergent bridge rating methodologies. Since Tcl is an interpreted language, the application also has the important advantage that new bridge capacity models and rating factor calculations can be implemented quickly by a user without compiling source code. The rating application is demonstrated on a conventionally reinforced concrete bridge girder. The use of OpenSees for finite-element analysis makes the rating application readily extensible to nonlinear structural response and advanced structural reliability methods for a variety of a bridge types and structural components.