Loads Tab

This screen is where you input all the load information as shown in Figure GO-1.

Figure 1 Loads Tab

Based on the geometry information, Precast/Prestressed Girder automatically computes dead loads due to self-weight of girders, haunch and slab, and sacrificial thickness self-weight.

Note: If Simple Span was selected on the Project tab screen, the Spans list will be grayed out under the permanent load list.

Input the required load data directly in the grid. The grid features the first level of data validation and any incorrect entries are flagged for the user's attention by turning red. Use the utility buttons such as Insert Row, Copy Row and Delete Row to enter/modify the remaining load information. You can modify the value for any particular load by directly editing the values in the grid.

Precast/Prestressed Girder supports the input of Trapezoidal Load either on precast or on composite. A user can enter the start and end magnitudes, as well as start and end distances along the precast length over which the trapezoidal load acts.

In Precast/Prestressed Girder, you can copy a specific permanent load to any span and/or beam by clicking Copy To. This will activate the Copy To... screen, as shown below. You can either copy the selected load to a specific span and/or beam or copy it to all spans and/or all beams.

Copy To

To copy to a specific span and/or beam, select it from the appropriate list. To copy the load to all spans and/or beams, select the All Spans and/or All Beams check boxes. Once you made the selection, click OK. Any copied loads will appear in the permanent load list on the Loads screen. You can view all the loads on all spans by selecting the All Spans check box.

Under Diaphragm, you can manually input diaphragm loads as concentrated loads on specific beams, as follows:

Select a span from the Spans list.
Select a beam from the Beams list.
Specify the diaphragm’s location and load for that span in the Loc and Load fields.
Click Add. The load will appear in the list under Diaphragm.
Repeat the above steps to add additional diaphragm loads or use Copy To to copy the diaphragm load to other beams and/or spans. Click Copy To to activate the Copy To screen, as shown before.

Alternatively you can use the Permanent Load Wizard, as shown in figure below, to specify the most commonly defined loads in a simple way. Click Wizard to activate the Permanent Load Wizard. The program will classify the user input loads into the appropriate categories, such as DL/ADL or DC/DW, precast or composite, and add them to the Permanent Loads Grid for all spans in the bridge. Although Precast/Prestressed Girder generates loads on precast that are the same for interior and exterior beams, you can manually edit the values after they are populated in the grid. Similarly, you can control the distribution of the dead loads on composite using the distribution factors for each beam. The description field will also get populated based on the load type from the Wizard.

Figure 3 Permanent / dead load Wizard

Note: A description text tag can be appended to each dead load under the description field in the dead loads grid.

By checking the Keep Values option you can retain the values in the Wizard the next time you come back to the screen. This may be helpful in cases where you do not want to make any changes to the predefined load categories. You will not be able to edit the values in the dead load grid when this option is checked.