99 Bridge Bosberg Houthalen - Helchteren The goal of this pedestrian bridge is to connect the two parts of the woods and the heath land; they are actually separated by a national trunk road. The concept of the structure is such, that it is also accessible for wheelchair-users. The local authorities insist that the form of the construction is in harmony with the environment. The engineering office in charge is A+D Engels N.V. - Dieplaan 55 – B 3600 Genk (Belgium). Description of the structure The lenght of the structure is total ± 190 m, with an efficient width of about 2.50 m - is imposed by the profile of the terrain and the necessary free height above the national road. The distance between the platforms (walk-overs and turning) is maximum 10 m. The total weight of the bridge construction is ± 60 ton. The connecting elements between the different platforms have an inclination of max. 5% and are alternally connected as continuous and hinged elements. The maximal useful height under the structure is 4.50 m at the height of the bow-bridge over the road. In this position, also a “viewpoint” is positioned. The road surface of the bridge is dimensioned for overloads of 5 kN/m2. Protection and materials The complete structure is built with RHS (rectangular hollow steel sections) A.E.355 D. The protection of the steel is executed by a high-quality blast and painting, installed in the workshop. The breast wall with handles, armour plate and double kneesupports are executed in rustproof steel. The floor covering is composed of indelible wooden strips, with anti-skit ribs. Use of SCIA-software We used the ESA-Prima Win software to create the model with beams and finite elements in a complete 3D environment. Working with ESA-Prima Win is simple and powerful and the interpretation of results is clear. We mainly used ESA-Prima Win to determine the internal forces and stresses in the steel sections, and to optimisee them according EC3-prescriptions.
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