565.623.81 - Bridge Design and Evaluation

Course Structure

Course Topics

This course covers the design and evaluation of various types of bridges to provide the student with a broad understanding of bridge types and the techniques used to design each type.  The order of presentation is:

• Overview
• Bridge Design Criteria and Loading
• Steel Girder Bridges and Bridge Decks
• Concrete Girder Bridges
• Bridge Substructures
• Bridge Foundations
• Segmental Concrete Box Girder Bridges
• Cable-Stayed Bridges
• Arch Bridges
• Bridge Rehabilitation

Course Goals

To identify, describe, and design common types of highway bridges and the relative benefits of each type. Further, to develop a working knowledge of the AASHTO LRFD Design Specification and be able to apply it to the design of bridge components. Apply the elements to the design of a bridge in a semester-long design project.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Explain bridge types, steps to select appropriate bridge types, and bridge design processes.
• Evaluate site constraints to layout bridges for cost -effective results.
• Apply the LRFD Bridge Design Code to bridge design problems.
• Develop component design loads using the AASHTO LRFD design code f or the design of bridge components.
• Identify and explain design tasks, concepts, and considerations for steel plate girder bridges, concrete girder bridges, bridge substructures and foundations, concrete segmental box girder bridges, arch bridges, and cable-stayed bridges.
• Analyze and develop solutions for design issues for steel plate girder bridges, concrete girder bridges, bridge substructures and foundations, concrete segmental box girder bridges, arch bridges, and cable-stayed bridges.
• Analyze and discuss plans for the evaluation, widening, and rehabilitation of existing bridges.

Textbooks

Wai-Fah Chen & Lian Duan. (2014) Bridge engineering handbook: Superstructure design (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group.

ISBN-13: 9781439852217

Required Software

Microsoft Office Suite recommended. Web browser and Internet connection required. Web conferencing platform may be helpful since the term project will be completed in groups. Free versions of any of the common platforms should work fine. For example: Teams, GoToMeeting, JoinMe, WebEx. For the term project, you will need to download the free student version of Autocad, available from AutoDesk, at https://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/autocad.

Student Coursework Requirements

Each module should take about 10 hours to complete. Some modules may take more or less. Here is an approximate breakdown: reading the assigned sections of the texts (approximately 3–4 hours per week) as well as some outside reading, listening to the audio annotated slide presentations (approximately 2–3 hours per week), and assignments and project work (approximately 2–3 hours per week). If coursework is taking significantly longer than 10 hours per week, contact the Instructors during Office Hours or by e-mail.

This course consists of four requirements:

1. Discussion Board Assignments (15% of final grade) 
   
   Weekly discussion board assignments require you to think about real-world applications for the concepts you will be learning. You are required to respond to each discussion prompt as well as respond to at least two other students’ post. A rubric for how discussion assignments will be evaluated by the instructor is posted in Module 1.
   
   
2. Problem Assignments and Quizzes (30% of final grade)
   
   This course includes 9 problem assignments spread out over the modules. Problem assignments are due at the end of the module week they are assigned. Each assignment or quiz is worth 25 points. The assignments are designed to provide practice for the concepts that are presented that week. Assignments are to be completed individually and your work will be uploaded to Blackboard in PDF format. More specific instructions are provided with each assignment. Late completion of assignments or quizzes will result in a one-point penalty per day.
   
   
3. Term Project (30% of final grade)
   
   This course includes a term project that will be completed in groups. You will be required to design an approximately one-mile-long bridge. Work on the project begins in the third week when the Instructor will assign groups by way of an announcement in Blackboard. Detailed inf ormation is provided about the term project in module 2. The project includes deliverables in modules 5, 11, 12, and 13. The project culminates in the production of a team paper as well as a brief team -produced voice-over PowerPoint video presentation that will be linked from Blackboard to share your projects with the entire class.
   
   
4. Final Exam (25% of final grade)
   
   The final exam will be made available to you though Blackboard in module 14. It will consist of several design problems that will emphasize the most important concepts covered in the course. You will have one week to complete the exam. It is to be completed individually and your work uploaded to Blackboard in PDF format. Late Final Exams will be penalized 10 points per day. Final exams more than three days late will not be accepted.

Grading Policy

Assignments are due according to the dates posted in the Blackboard course site. Students may check these due dates in the Course Calendar or the Assignments in the corresponding modules. Grades will post no later than one week after assignment due dates. A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week. A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

The following grades are used f or this course: A+, A, A – (excellent), B+, B, B– (good), C (unsatisfactory), F (failure), I (incomplete). A grade of F indicates the student ’s failure to complete or comprehend the course work.  A course for which an unsatisfactory grade (C or F) has been received may be retaken. The original grade is replaced with an R. If the failed course includes laboratory, both the lecture and laboratory work must be retaken unless the instructor indicates otherwise. A grade of W is issued to those who have dropped the course after the refund period but before the drop deadline. The transcript is part of the student’s permanent record at the university. No grade may be changed except to correct an error, to replace an incomplete with a grade, or to replace a grade with an R.

The Whiting School assumes that students possess acceptable written command of the English language. It is proper for faculty to consider writing quality when assigning grades. For incomplete grades, please see the Graduate Programs catalogue for the Whiting School of Engineering.

The course grading scale is the following:

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.