Engineers at the university of Houston (UH) (Houston, Texas) Cullen College of Engineering are working on a construction process for steel bridges that is faster and less expensive than conventional methods. Developed by Associate Professor Todd Helwig and Assistant Professor Reagan Herman of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the process is designed to improve bracing of a bridge while significantly reducing the need for intermediate cross frames. Cross frames are conventional bracing systems that are used to prevent twisting and maintain stability of a girder cross section during construction. According to Helwig, this type of framing is expensive to fabricate and there can be long-term problems associated with its use, such as fatigue and added cost and length of inspections throughout the life of the bridge. Cross frames also require heavy machinery to install.
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