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  • Helical Anchor Installation with the High Mobility Engineer Excavator: Proof-of-Concept Testing

    Abstract: Proof-of-concept testing was conducted to determine the viability of helical anchor installation using the US Army’s High Mobility Engineer Excavator (HMEE). To facilitate the proof-of-concept test, a new hydraulic hose kit was designed that connects the Bridge Supplemental Set (BSS) drive motor to the HMEE’s auxiliary hydraulic system. Additionally, a steel mount was fabricated that provided means to attach the BSS drive motor to the boom of the HMEE. Testing indicated the HMEE can successfully install the BSS anchors with the required hardware, but the vehicle’s large footprint will likely increase the installation time compared to previous methods. Several improvements to the hydraulic hose kit design were identified through the experiment, and guidance was created to facilitate efficient HMEE usage in the future. Once a permanent solution is developed to mount the BSS drive motor to the HMEE, the capabilities of the BSS will be greatly expanded by allowing each Multi-Role Bridge Company to install anchors using multiple vehicle types.
  • Evaluation of the Bridge Supplement Set overhead cable system with uneven bank heights

    Abstract: A numerical model was developed to analyze the effects of environmental conditions and construction layout on the structural capacity of the modernized Bridge Supplemental Set (BSS). Environmental variables included even and uneven bank heights, soil strength, river width, and river flow rate conditions. Construction variables included tower placement, tower guy line orientation, and catenary length. Loading conditions, the drag force of the bridge due to river current, were conservatively applied with the assumption of uniform flow rate across the entire river width to account for the wide range of operating environments in which the BSS may potentially be used. Analysis of system performance informed several BSS construction optimizations to maximize system capabilities over the wide range of conditions considered. Catenary length was found to have the greatest influence on system performance, indicating that a small increase in catenary length would greatly reduce the loading on the critical components of the BSS, thus increasing the capacity and safety of the system. A stand-alone computer program was developed to quickly provide BSS construction guidance for a large variety of operating conditions, as the number of charts and figures required to account for most scenarios numbers in the thousands.
  • Performance of Army Corps of Engineers Mat System Using Anchorless Connections: A Follow-on Study of Site Stabilization for the Improved Ribbon Bridge Bridge Supplemental Set

    Abstract: The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center conducted testing of the Army Corps of Engineers mat system with improved anchorage and connection hardware. Low-profile screw anchors replaced the ground anchorage of the existing system to reduce wear to tracks and wheels of vehicles while trafficking the system. Anchorless connections allowed the system to be placed over soils where the use of screw anchorage would be obstructed or would cause hazards to trafficking vehicles. Test tracks were constructed to evaluate the matting system with new anchorage and connection hardware over three different soils of weak sand and clay. Channelized traffic was applied to the test tracks using a loaded common bridge transporter. Performance of the updated system was evaluated with respect to results from previous testing, indicating that the improved anchorage and connection hardware increased the versatility of the matting system without sacrificing system performance.
  • Bridge Resource Inventory Database for Gap Emplacement Selection (BRIDGES)

    Abstract: Wet gap crossings are one of the most complex maneuvers undertaken by military engineers, who, along with engineer planners, require better tools to increase the capacity for efficient use of limited bridging resources across the battlespace. Planning for bridging maneuvers often involves a complicated and inefficient system of ad hoc spreadsheets combined with an overreliance on the personal experience and training of subject matter experts (SMEs). Bridge Resource Inventory Database for Gap Emplacement Selection (BRIDGES) uses interactive mapping and database technology in order to streamline the bridging planning process and provide answers to question about myriad scenarios to maximize efficiency and provide better means of data persistence across time and data sharing across operational or planning units.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Improved Ribbon Bridge Structural Response Validation Testing

    Abstract: vehicles and trucks up to Military Load Capacity 96. The Bridge Supplemental Set (BSS) includes Bridge Erection Boats and an anchorage system to allow for the positioning and securing of the bridge in moving water. Designed to function as either a floating bridge or a raft, the IRB and BSS give military commanders multiple options with regards to the tactical river crossings. The US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) was contracted by Product Manager Bridging to provide a structural analysis via high-fidelity numerical modeling of various IRB spans and water flow rates. To this end, a finite element model (FEM) of the IRB was constructed using field measurements of IRB interior bays. To ensure accurate structural response characteristics of the FEM and to build confidence in the simulation results, a validation test series was devised to generate empirical data to correlate against. This report documents the IRB structural response validation testing conducted at ERDC in March 2018. The data contained in this report was used to validate the IRB structural FEM.
  • PUBLICATION NOTICE: Structural Analysis of an Improved Ribbon Bridge Subjected to Hydrodynamic and Vehicular Loading

    Abstract: Structural modeling and simulations were performed to determine limit states of an Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB) subjected to hydraulic and vehicle loadings. Measurements of as-built IRB bays were used to construct a three-dimensional, computer-aided design model. The model was used to create a computational finite element model (FEM) that was validated through correlations of simulation results and empirical data. The validated FEM was used to establish limit states (i.e., maximum current and vehicular loading conditions for 110 and 210 m IRB crossings). Analyses revealed that the primary structural failure mode was yielding in the steel pins that link IRB bays. Assuming the IRB is adequately restrained at the shores, a 110 m IRB can withstand currents up to 11 ft/s with no vehicle traffic; a 210 m IRB can endure up to 7 ft/s under the same conditions. For risk crossings, one Military Load Classification-70 vehicle on the bridge, 110 and 210 m IRBs can tolerate currents up to 9 and 7 ft/s, respectively. Under normal crossing conditions vehicle spaced 100 ft apart, a 110 m IRB has the structural capacity to endure currents up to 9 ft/s; the maximum current for a 210 m IRB is 5 ft/s.