Altair Inspire® Challenge #1: Bridge Concept Design

Have you ever looked at a bridge, and wondered what factors determine the ideal support system for such a structure?

Now is your chance to use Altair Inspire to help answer that question. 

In this challenge we have a scaled down bridge, for which we want to determine the preliminary structural layout.  The bridge deck must remain intact, but the supporting structure (under, or even over, the deck) can be optimized using topology optimization. 

The structure must be able to support its own weight, plus the applied loads in the model.  The goal is to minimize deflections, and eliminate redundant material.  You may use the provided design space, or create your own.  Ensure that the structural layout does not obstruct vehicle movement across, or underneath the bridge. 

Tip: If you have trouble running an optimization, try running an analysis to ensure the model is behaving as expected.

Level: Easy

Product Required: Altair Inspire (including personal edition)

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Edit: A solution to this challenge has been attached as an image file using the original optimization settings in the file. Try to solve it on your own before looking at it!  Note that this problem is intentionally open-ended, so your solution may not match exactly, and that's ok.  Perhaps yours is even more efficient!