FHWA Bridge Inspector’s Manual—Primer on Bridge Mechanics - a PDH Online Course for Engineers, Architects and Surveyors

FHWA Bridge Inspector’s Manual—Primer on Bridge Mechanics

Course Outline

This three-hour online course discusses bridge design loadings, bridge response to loadings, material response to loadings, bridge movements, design methods, bridge ratings, span classifications, bridge roadway interactions, redundancy, and foundations.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will:

Be familiar with bridge design loadings;
Know bridge response to loadings;
Know material response to loadings;
Know principles of mechanics of materials;
Be familiar with bridge movements;
Be familiar with design methods;
Know bridge ratings;
Be familiar with span classifications;
Understand the factors affecting bridge roadway interactions;
Know types of redundancy; and
Be familiar with foundations.

Intended Audience

This course is intended primarily for civil, construction, and structural engineers, and would be of particular interest to consulting engineers or to engineers serving in government organizations concerned with the safety of bridges.

Benefit to Attendees

An attendee of this course will be familiar with science of mechanics as it applies to bridges and will be able to apply this knowledge in bridge inspections.

Course Introduction

Mechanics is the branch of physical science that deals with energy and forces and their relation to the equilibrium, deformation, or motion of bodies. The bridge inspector will primarily be concerned with statics, or the branch of mechanics dealing with solid bodies at rest and with forces in equilibrium. The two most important reasons for a bridge inspector to study bridge mechanics are to understand how bridge members function and to recognize the impact a defect may have on the load-carrying capacity of a bridge component or element.

Course Content

This course is based on the Basics Concepts Primer section, pp. P.2.1-P.2.36, of the Federal Highway Administration Bridge Inspector’s Reference Manual, Publication No. FHWA NHI 03-001, October, 2002, Revised December, 2006.

FHWA Bridge Inspector’s Manual—Primer on Bridge Mechanics

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Course Summary

The science of mechanics as it applies to bridges is described in a manner useful for conducting inspection of bridges.

Related Links

For additional technical information related to this subject, please visit the following websites or web pages:

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/bridge/bripro.htm

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.