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  Large Structures  
  BEAR engineers have a wide range of experience with large structures from bridges to offshore platforms to stadium roofs performing corrosion, fatigue, fracture and structural analysis to determine remaining life and margin of safety. For the Golden Gate Bridge, BEAR engineers designed dampers to mitigate earthquake damage.  
  Offshore Platforms  |  Fatigue and Fracture Analysis  |  Bridge Analysis   
     
 

Offshore Platforms

  
  BEAR engineers have performed the fracture assessment for several offshore platforms in the North Sea and regularly assesses US platforms that have been exposed to hurricanes in the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico. The Unimar platform below was, inspected laser scanned and analyzed after being tossed about by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  
     
 

Fatigue and Fracture Analysis

  
  BEAR has experience performing fatigue and fracture analyses on a wide variety of large structures, from the Milwaukee stadium roof to the Concord California water slide space frame. A finite element computer analysis model of the water slide is shown to the right.  
     
 

Bridge Analysis

  
 

BEAR engineers also have significant experience in fatigue and fracture analysis of bridges and the design of vibration dampers to prevent vibrational damage due to wind and earthquakes.

The Golden Gate Bridge is shown to the right with one of the dampers in the lower left.

  
   

 

  
   
 

A schematic of the 8,981 foot long Golden Gate bridge is shown above. BEAR engineers performed an earthquake analysis to determine the amount of energy the dampers had to disipate and a fracture and fatigue analysis to ensure against local failure.

Structural integrity is an area BEAR can assist no matter the size of the structure or part. Our global laser scanning techniques (1 million points in 20 minutes) and advanced finite element analysis capabilities allow us to determine a structure's actual shape, assess fatigue and fracture damage and estimate remaining life.

For consultation on your bridge problems, please contact Glen Stevick, Ph.D., P.E. at 510-549-3300 or David Rondinone, Ph.D., P.E. at 541-267-2588.

  
       
     
 
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