Digitally enabling design for manufacture, assembly and maintenance of bridges

Abstract

Laing O’Rourke, Tony Gee and Cambridge University have undertaken a unique joint research project entitled “Digitally enabling the design for manufacture, assembly and maintenance of bridges.” Ultimately the project is trailblazing innovative technology that will change the way in which bridges are designed and constructed. The 27 month long project, co-funded by Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, aimed to speed up bridge design and delivery, improving efficiency and reliability whilst reducing overall costs by rationalising design and automating routine processes through digital engineering. This will allow the most common bridge types and bridge parts to be standardised for off-site manufacture and designed parametrically to allow them to be easily configured to each particular design.