Software Option for Standard and Plus versions

Vehicle Load Optimisation

The Vehicle Load Optimisation facility incorporating the well-known Autoloader software complements and extends the vehicle loading capabilities of LUSAS Bridge and helps to simplify the evaluation of worst load position for various load configurations.

Vehicle load optimisation is used to identify critical vehicle loading patterns on bridges and apply these loading patterns to LUSAS analysis models. It reduces the amount of time spent generating models and leads to more efficient and economic design, assessment or load rating of bridge structures.

Vehicle Load Optimisation procedure

How does it work?

You select one or more positions on the LUSAS model that are to be used for loading evaluation.

  1. An influence surface for each position is automatically calculated in LUSAS Bridge for use by the vehicle load optimisation facility.
  2. The vehicle load optimisation facility interrogates each influence surface and calculates the critical loading pattern.
  3. The influence Surface can be displayed graphically prior to calculating the critical loading pattern.
  4. The critical loading patterns are then used in LUSAS Bridge to calculate the loading effects on the model. The critical loading pattern can be displayed graphically prior to calculating loading effects.

By using LUSAS Bridge with the Vehicle Load Optimisation facility the guesswork is taken out of bridge loading and a much faster evaluation of worst-case loading patterns is obtained.

Works with design codes for the following countries:

UK: BD21/97, BD21/01, BD37/88, BD37/01 (Road and Rail), BS5400 Rail, Railtrack document RT/CE/025
USA: AASHTO LFD & LRFD Sweden: BRO Norway
Finland Korea Hong Kong
China: JTG D62-2004 India Australia
South Africa: TMH7

... with more being added all the time

In Summary:

  • Automatic generation of influence lines / surfaces in LUSAS Bridge
  • Precise identification of critical loading patterns to the appropriate international code of practice
  • Loading to many international codes of practice
  • Graphical visualisation of vehicle loading patterns
  • Loadings for straight or curved carriageways
  • Facility to accomodate changes in design codes
  • Pre-defined standard vehicles
  • User customisation of vehicle loads
  • Option to use non-default values
  • Option to create user-defined rules
  • Fast solution times - with loading files being produced much quicker than can be done manually
  • Facility for sensitivity testing - for example determining the maximum number of HB units which a structure may support, with or without HA loading
  • For use with LUSAS plates, shells and grillages
  • Solves several points on a structure in one analysis session

"Using the LUSAS Autoloader facility for load optimization expedited the live load analyses for a highly repetitive task that would have otherwise been extremely time consuming."

Dr Ihab Darwish, Alfred Benesch and Company.

Back to Top

Any modelling and analysis capabilities described on this page are dependent upon the LUSAS software product and version in use.

home | software | options | case studies | support | consultancy | academics | news | contact us | jobs | search

LUSAS is a trademark and trading name of Finite Element Analysis Ltd.
Copyright © 1982-2008 Last modified: November 24, 2008.