Program Used:
Engineer's Studio®,
UC-BRIDGE・3DCAD (Partial Factor Method)

Tenjingawa Bridge (tentative name) is a 7-span continuous double-layer arch RC bridge with a length of 552.0 m. It is located between the Otsu JCT and the Joyo JCT (25 km) of the Shin-Meishin Expressway at the section over the Tenjingawa River, a first-class river flowing through Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. The lower part is an open spandrel arch, and the upper part uses a solid spandrel arch, which allows a pavement structure similar to that of ordinary embankments. Because this bridge had a structure unprecedented in highway bridges, advanced analysis techniques were required in its design, and UC-BRIDGE and Engineer's Studio® were used for the analysis.

Program Used:
Engineer's Studio®

This bridge is a four-span continuous steel truss bridge of the upper deck type. Both ends are supported by abutments, and the intermediate supports are RC flexible piers over 40m high with a hollow section. In addition to the fact that the structure is prone to swaying due to the high piers of over 40m, the hinge bearings installed on the piers resulted in many yielding members in the upper structural steel members during the current status review. It was also confirmed that there were parts of the bridge piers that exceeded their shear strength. Therefore, various reinforcement plans were prepared, such as plate reinforcement by attaching steel plates to yielding members, vibration control by using buckling restraint braces, and seismic isolation by replacing bearings with seismic isolation bearings. A parametric analysis was then performed and the results were compared to find the optimal reinforcement method.

Program Used: xpswmm

In recent years, damage caused by heavy rains has occurred not only in large rivers but also in small rivers. As the flood risk for small rivers is not fully understood and its information is insufficient, there are problems to use the existing hazard map as a reliable material. On the other hand, a relatively simple method has been proposed to assess flood risk for a large number of small rivers against specific types of floods. However, if it does not cover the types of floods, we need to apply other flood analysis methods. In this study, the flood risk of small rivers was evaluated using flood simulations for the current river and the cross-section of the river after improvement.

Program Used: DesignBuilder

In 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted at a United Nations summit. There are several points that can contribute to achieving the SDGs, one of which is improving energy efficiency. Energy simulation for buildings is becoming increasingly important as buildings with increased energy efficiency are considered decarbonized and green buildings. Optimizing a building's energy consumption requires complex settings that take into account a variety of factors, including the natural environment, architectural conditions, and mechanical design. In this project, the simulation of energy consumption reduction was performed using "DesignBuilder", the building energy simulation software.

Program Used: FEMLEEG

This bridge will be expanded by integrating both sides of the mainline bridge (existing bridge) up to the intermediate support (C ramp side: P3 pier, D ramp side: P4 pier). For the P3 and P4 piers, after the integration, the existing girder will be the intermediate fulcrum of the continuous girder, and the ramp widening girder will be the end fulcrum, resulting in different fulcrum conditions at the same fulcrum. Since the existing girder and the ramp widening girder have different deflection properties, there is a concern that the deflection may affect the RC slab and transverse girder at the connection area as a torsional deformation. In this project, the influence was verified using FEM analysis.

Program Used:
Engineer's Studio®

This facility is an existing 3D box water absorption tank in a drainage pump station made of reinforced concrete and has a full opening on one side. Conventionally, such a box-shaped structure was designed using 2D sectional models, but when designing the excitation in the direction of the flowing water for this water tank, since the top and bottom plates were cantilevered due to the opening, there might be a large difference between the actual structure and the design using the 2D sectional models. There are also doubts about the applicability of the wall element replacement, which can take front and back walls into consideration. Therefore, in addition to the analysis conducted in previous years using 2D sectional models, another analysis was also performed using a 3D model to compare the results of both analyses and to examine areas that needed reinforcement.

Program Used:
Engineer's Studio®

This is an analysis of a steel truss suspension bridge built in the 1950s. Because it is located on a road connecting villages in a mountainous area, it is required to meet the seismic performance 2 in the event of a level 2 earthquake. However, since it was designed many years ago, an analysis of the current situation shows that it will be significantly damaged by earthquakes and needs to be reinforced. The bridge's structure was old and it would be difficult to replace bearings or install dampers, and the bridge was located in a valley in the mountains, making it difficult to secure the land. The company considered the best reinforcement option under these conditions. Each member of the main tower, truss, floor assembly, and cables were modeled precisely, and L2 dynamic nonlinear analysis and live load influence line analysis were performed.

Program Used:
Engineer's Studio®

The seismic motion level used to verify the seismic performance of agricultural irrigation facilities differs depending on the components such as pump equipment, sluices, and sluice pipes. In recent years, the impending possibility of the Nankai Trough Earthquake or the Metropolitan Inland Earthquake has been pointed out, and even though the seismic safety has been confirmed by verification using the Level 1 seismic motion according to technical standards, it is important to prepare in advance for large earthquakes that may occur in the future. Therefore, the company conducted a seismic performance test against the Level 2 seismic motion for the water gates of existing agricultural irrigation facilities designed using the Level 1 seismic motion, and proposed a rational seismic reinforcement plan by using effective modeling and verification methods.

Program Used:
GeoFEAS 2D

When reinforcing the two piers of the overpass bridge above railroads, it is planned to excavate around the piers using liner plates. In this study, the company conducted a multi-stage analysis using FEM analysis to determine the amount of deformation for excavation and liner plate installation for the P2 pier. Based on the results, the displacement of the railroad tracks and the effect of the excavation on the existing bridge abutments were investigated. This report summarizes the results of the FEM deformation analysis.

Program Used: Engineer's Studio®
This bridge is a 4-span continuous steel plate girder overpass constructed in the early Showa period. The central three piers are of RC structures in the lower part, and the upper part is a composite structure with steel truss legs consisting of seven lattice columns connected with trusses to form a single plate. It has passed over 80 years since its construction, and a dynamic nonlinear analysis was conducted at the level 2 earthquake to verify the seismic performance of the bridge under the latest seismic loading. The superstructure and steel truss legs were modeled as elastic beam elements, and the substructure as a nonlinear beam element (M-φ element), with plastic hinge springs at the column bases. As a result of the verification, the shear capacity of the RC members and the bending and compressive stress of the steel truss legs exceeded the allowable values, which were confirmed as basic data for future reinforcement studies.

Program Used: JCMAC3
As for the construction of the abutment of a simple girder bridge, the abutment wall was mass concrete of 1.95 m thick according to the design. Therefore, cracking due to thermal stress was expected to occur when the in-situ concrete was placed, and the thermal stress analysis of the mass concrete was conducted with JCMAC3 for the initial construction plan. In addition, cracking occurred as expected in the initial plan, simulations were conducted with different curing periods and pouring temperatures.