Updates to the Direct-Displacement Based Design Method and a Discussion of Future Bridge Research Topics

During spring semester, 2016, Dr. Kowalsky was on scholarly leave. During that period, he focused on three tasks: (1) Updates to the direct-displacement based design (DDBD) method and implementation into a new edition of a textbook; (2) Development of new bridge research topics, aided by discussions with Alaska DOT and Caltrans; and (3) Development of a new course on the seismic design of bridges. At this seminar, each of these items will be discussed briefly. With regards to the DDBD method, changes to our textbook ranged from the mundane (correction of errors), to the more substantial, which includes research conducted by students at NC State. New bridge research topics to be discussed focus mostly on seismic issues, but include items spanning from analysis models (impact of damping on non-linear response of bridges) to ground motion definitions (the significance of RotD50 vs RotD100 spectra on bridge design) to accelerated bridge construction methods. Lastly, the outline for a new course that has been simmering for years (but started boiling in spring 2016) will be discussed.