Challenge

Sweco is one of Europe’s leading architecture and technology consultants that regularly takes on large-scale projects. To efficiently manage these projects, they require bridge design software that can be scaled across their engineers and multiple regions. 

Solution

For their large projects, Sweco has set up a workflow for their bridge design projects where BRIGADE/Standard is used for the majority of design of standard bridges and let BRIGADE/Plus tackle the more advanced bridge designs and complex structures; always supported by the TECHNIA BRIGADE support team when needed. 

Results

Sweco can scale their bridge design work for their large projects using TECHNIA’s structural analysis software. The ease of use and standardized results format that comes with BRIGADE/Standard let their engineers work efficiently across divisions and regions. For more advanced projects requiring detailed FEA (finite element analysis) or nonlinear analysis, Sweco uses BRIGADE/Plus, which offers powerful tools like the free body cut tool. 

Sweco is one of the largest architecture and technology consultant in Europe with currently (2024) permanent presence in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and Great Britain.

Their long presence in the industry and experience positions them well to take on large complex infrastructure projects, which means they need scalable and reliable analysis and design tools to be able to make correct deliveries and deliver on time. Sweco has been using BRIGADE design software for over 25 years and has found a well-functioning work process for their bridge design projects where BRIGADE plays a central role.

Dynamic analysis for high-speed trains

The Norrbotniabanan project (in northern Sweden) is a good example of a large project where Sweco is proving their concept of using BRIGADE. The project as a whole involves about 250 bridges, of which Sweco will design at least 50. Such a big task benefits from uniform handling of the different bridges. With BRIGADE/Standard Sweco’s engineers can analyze the standard type bridges in a uniform way. The structured way of working, result extraction and result presentation, that comes with the software, allows the users to quickly set up models and make controls of the analysis work in an efficient way.

The railroad part of Norrbotniabanan is being designed for high-speed trains, which means that the railroad bridges along it must be designed to handle loads from the high-speed trains. Therefore, the dynamic performance of the bridges needs to be considered and there – for some bridges – is a need for more advanced dynamic analyses. In those cases, Sweco uses BRIGADE/Plus, which offers dynamic analysis methods.

In BRIGADE/Plus there is a module specially designed for handling of dynamic response of moving loads from high-speed trains, with the different design vehicles according to EUROCODE (HSLM-A-B) predefined. Working with Brigade/Plus for these calculations has proven to be effective and scalable.

Sweco also uses BRIGADE/Plus when the most advanced/complex bridges need to be analyzed, such as truss bridges or complex geometries.

As an international company with engineers across multiple regions, SWECO needs software solutions that transcend geographical boundaries. With BRIGADE’s flexible licensing model, SWECO can easily implement the software in every country where they operate, ensuring seamless collaboration across regions, and has done so for some regions.

This not only enables the company to fully leverage BRIGADE’s powerful, structured workflows but also to scale its benefits company-wide, optimizing operations and driving consistent results across all locations.

Advanced bridge design: truss bridges and weathering steel

Sweco not only take on large projects, but they also take on new bridge design challenges. For one project in Boden, they took on the task of designing a bridge in weathering steel. The bridge is a 70 m long truss bridge in two spans providing a safe passage for pedestrians passing a road and a railway. For the project they decided to use BRIGADE/PLUS where its unique Free Body Cut Tool provided useful help in collecting relevant resulting design forces and moments.

The tool allows the user to define sections made from several different types of elements such as beams, shells and solid elements. Influence surfaces are then made for each defined section that can be used for all types of loads, including moving/traffic loads. For this specific project it gave much needed insights into the bridge structure and in the end the design of the bridge.

Beyond bridge engineering and into green transformation projects

Sweco also use BRIGADE/Plus in other fields than bridge engineering. In BRIGADE/Plus the user is free to define any geometry, hence it can be used as an FE-analysis tool for any type of structure. BRIGADE/Plus includes nonlinear analysis methods (for example nonlinear material and contact pairs) which allows for advanced studies of structures. It uses the well-known Abaqus-solver which guarantees access to one of the most robust solvers on the market. This gives Sweco the power to solve any given structural problem and implement software in its projects related to green transformation such as granting the integrity of water dams.

In the example below, a buttress dam – completed in 1954 – was analysed. Its integrity was investigated with regards to its behavior during seasonal temperature changes. The results from the numerical temperature analyses are – among other things – used to determine where sensors should be placed to be able to monitor cracks in the concrete dam. Over time, data from the sensors can be used to calibrate the FEA-model and when sufficient measured data is obtained, prediction methods can be used to define more accurate predictions of warning alert/values linked to the dam’s structural integrity.

With the calibrated model, a better estimation of the dam’s behavior in a potential failure is obtained, which in turn provides better alert values. The model for the nonlinear analyses includes the post installed reinforcements (tendons) also gives a better estimation of which instruments first would indicate a potential failure.

The analyses are essential for the maintenance of the dam and therefore essential to keep the hydro plant running for many more years to come.

Temperature analysis

 

Deformation analysis (scaled)

 

 

 

 

“One reason Sweco continues to choose BRIGADE is the know-how and support that TECHNIA delivers. TECHNIA gives valuable technical support when needed and offers training and tutorials/workshops for both new and advanced users which enables the users to continuously learn more, at their own pace.”

Carl Westerlund Storck, Technical manager | Sweco 

 

Learn more about BRIGADE

For over two decades BRIGADE has provided a robust design tool that help bridge engineers to do accurate and reliable analysis of both standard and complex bridge structures in an easy-to-use environment, watch this webinar to discover the benefits for you!

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