Here is a list of 5 best free bridge designing software for Windows. This freeware can be used by aspiring engineers to design and analyze different types of bridges. For example, road bridges, railway bridges, and suspension bridges. It basically analyzes your bridge design to find if it is stable or unstable. For that, you need to specify the location, geometry, partial factor, material, load case, etc., and get the respective bridge analysis report.
The analysis report basically shows suggestions to improve your design if it is unstable. You can also view analysis reports like Load Test Results, Cost Calculation Reports, Shear Diagrams and Moment Diagrams, Concrete Properties, Cross Beam Analysis Results, Cross Beam Load Results, Deflection History, Effective Performance, Girder Properties, Girder Stability, etc.
The types of reports vary from each of these bridge design software. You can print the bridge analysis report generated by this bridge building software. Here are the 5 best free bridge design software for Windows:
1. ACoBri
ACoBri is a free bridge design software for Windows. It is a simple and easy to use bridge design software.
To start with a new bridge project, specify the bridge type as road, rail, or bridge. You can then use the tools available in the main interface to edit various input parameters. These include superstructure parameters (beam type, beam distribution, span), slab characteristics, relationship between slab and girder (definition of connections, beam selection, etc.), reinforcement, material properties, connections to supports, concrete beams, footing on supports, beams supports, diaphragms and alterations in cross sections, steel sections, crack length lengths, and walkways and retaining systems.
Apart from that, you can define superimposed dead loads, pavement loads, slow lane locations, truck load models, elevation and settlement adjustments, and national factors (weight factor, SLS, ULS, etc.) as per your requirement.
In this bridge building software, you can create a preliminary design report. The Post Processing button on the toolbar performs different calculations based on the input data, such as geometry, diaphragm elements, cross beam elements, etc. It also displays the results in graphical form.
Overall, this is a bridge design software that is worth trying. However, it is less user frendly for users compared to other software. [Download ACoBri].
2. BridgeLink
BridgeLink is another free software on this list of bridge design software for Windows. It lets you design different types of bridge projects including Box Girder, Spectra, Curved, Prestressed Girder, I-Beams, U-Beams, and many more. You have to start by specifying the input parameters for designing a particular bridge structure. For example, for Curved Bridge, you need to define vertical curve data, road section and superelevation profile and the location where the height is calculated.
It provides the Bridge Plan and Plan Alignment sections for designing bridge structures. You can design individual elements of the bridge type like girder, abutment, haunch, flange, slab, etc. You can assign a user defined point, distributed, moment or load to the bridge.
Apart from that, it also provides Design Live Load, Live Load Distribution Factor, Construction Load, Load Modifier, etc. From the Project menu, you can select the unit of measurement, project criteria, environmental conditions, effective wingspan, structural analysis method, etc.
In this bridge design software, different viewing options are available including Bridge View, Girder View, and Pier View. Additional tools that help you to design bridge structures include Hints, Labels (Alpha, Numeric), AutoCalc, etc.
From View menu > Graphs option, You can view different graphs including Analysis Results, Concrete Properties, Cross Beam Analysis Results, Cross Beam Direct Load Results, Deflection History, Effective Prestress, Girder Properties, Girder Stability, and Stress History. You can also view different result reports like bearing design parameter report, bridge analysis report, bridge geometry report, hauling report, lifting report, load assessment report, wharf reaction report, girder comparison report, etc.
You can directly print the above-mentioned reports or save them as XML, TXT, etc. files. Overall, it is a good bridge building software on this list. [Download BridgeLink].
3. QConBridge
QConBridge is another free bridge design software for Windows. How to design a bridge structure in this freeware:
- Choose the number of spans and span continuity to create a bridge structure.
- Next, you have to define parameters for span geometry (left span / right span length) and boundary conditions (left strut, interior truss, right strut).
- Now, determine the cross-section description including section properties and live load distribution factors. Calculator tools are also available in this section.
After building the general specifications for your project, you can start designing every aspect of the bridge. You can add spans/supports by specifying boundary factor, insertion point, boundary condition, hinge location, backing data (height, density, offset, area, etc.), etc.
A dedicated Load menu is provided to assign loads to structures and edit related parameters. For example, standard dead load (DC/DW), pedestrian live load, dynamic load allowance, live load generation parameters, etc.
Using options Bridge> Analyze, you can specify the minimum number of analysis points and view the Slide Diagram and Moment Diagram for the selected loading (DC dead load, DW dead load, live load envelope, pedestrian envelope, fatigue truck envelope, dual truck train + lane envelope, etc.). Apart from that, you can select a load and view its tabular results including Slide and Moment values. The entire report can also be retrieved using the associated options and can be exported as a Report file (RPT) or Text file (TXT).
Bridge designs or shear and moment diagrams can be printed directly. QConBridge is a good and easy to use bridge building software for Windows. It lets you set display options for screen plots and printer plot styles.
[Download QConBridge].
4. LimitState RING
LimitState RING is a free bridge design software for Windows. It is specially designed for fabricating and analyzing bridge structures. It lets you design the types of railway and highway bridges and then analyze them based on the set loads.
How to design a LimitState RING bridge:
To start with, LimitState RING provides some sample bridge diagrams that you can use. Some of them are 2 span road bridge, 3 span road bridge, Bolton bridge, Salford bridge, etc.
Moreover, you can start with a new bridge structure by specifying the input parameters. These input parameters are bridge type, effective bridge width, location, geometry (left support, right support, span, fill profile), partial factor (factors applied to loads such as masonry unit weight, filling unit weight, filling unit weight, load tracks, etc.), materials (rock, backfill, fill surfaces), and load cases (assign loads using their vehicle database). You can then edit the properties of the elements that the bridge uses such as displacement, fill force, support movement, length, position, weight, etc.
After creating bridge structure and assigning load, you can run bridge structure analysis using Analysis menu > Solve option. It displays whether your design is correct or not and how you can improve the structure. It calculates the load factor causing the bridge to collapse, which is then displayed on the bridge design.
Reports with general bridge information, blocking information (position, area, support, filling force, etc.), contacts (position, point, loss, shear, moment, status, etc.), etc. also shown. Analysis reports can be viewed from Analysis > Report.
Some common features of LimitState RING:
- Provides 3D view mode to see your structure. Zoom in and rotate your bridge structure to see it.
- It provides a Lock option to avoid unnecessary modifications to the design.
- You can export the bridge geometry as a DXF file. It also provides the option to save the bridge design as a PNG, JPG, BMP, or PS image file.
This is a great bridge design software for Windows. [Download LimitState RING].
Notes: In this free version, many features are locked like you cannot save Analysis Report, Adequacy factor is also not shown in final report, etc.
5. Bridge Designer
Bridge Designer, as the name suggests, is a dedicated bridge design software for Windows. Using it, you can create your own bridge structure and analyze it. The best part of this software is that it provides a realtime simulation of the bridge structure created. It also comes with several sample bridge designs which can be modified accordingly. Some examples of these designs are Suspension Bridge, Pratt Deck Truss, Warren Thru Truss, Cable-Stayed Bridge, Combine Truss Bridge, etc.
How to design a bridge using Bridge Designer:
When you start with a new bridge design, you have to enter several parameters including deck height and support configuration, deck material and truck loading, and truss attachment.
You can then add joints to the structure. Each element can have a different type of material (carbon steel, high-strength low-alloy steel, etc.), cross section (solid bar, hollow tube), size, etc.
Bridge Structure Analysis Results:
It provides a special Test menu by which, you can determine if your bridge structure is strong enough to handle vehicle loads or will collapse.
Following are the options provided in this menu:
- Use Test > Load Test option for realtime simulation of bridge structure with respect to trucks crossing it.
- You can view Load Test results with Compression Force, Compression Strength, Compression Status, Tension Force, Tension Strength and Tension Status values.
- It also lets you view Cost Calculation Report with cost calculation type, and cost items.
- Test Results and Cost Calculation Reports can be copied to the clipboard or can be directly printed as well.
- If your bridge structure is unstable, it displays suggestions for improving the design. It also provides an AutoCorrect Error option.
Bridge designs can be directly printed or saved in own project format.
Bridge Designer is one of the best bridge design software as well as bridge analysis software for Windows. Its feature to simulate bridge structures in real time is not available in other software listed in this article. [Download Bridge Designer].
