LIGHTWEIGHT FOOTBRIDGE CONCEPTS

THIS PROPOSAL DESIGNS A MAN PORTABLE AND DEPLOYABLE FOOTBRIDGE WITH THE BRIDGING CAPABILITY TO CROSS A 20 METER DRY GAP AND AN UNLIMITED WET GAP. THE BRIDGE IS DEPLOYABLE QUICKLY AND QUIETLY, AND ONLY REQUIRES ACCESS TO ONE SIDE OF THE GAP. THE DESIGN USES NEW LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH-STRENGTH MATERIALS ALONG WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART COMPUTER OPTIMIZATION TECHNIQUES TO MAXIMIZE LOAD TO BRIDGE WEIGHT RATIOS. VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF THE FOOTBRIDGE TRUSSES CAN EVEN BE USED TO BUILD A SMALL VEHICLE BRIDGE. THE STUDY CONDUCTED IN THIS PROPOSAL WILL DEMONSTRATE THE FEASIBILITY OF THE CONCEPT, BUILD A DEMONSTRATION MODEL TO ILLUSTRATE THE CONCEPT, AND WRITE A COMPREHENSIVE FINAL REPORT INCLUDING AN ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE, MATERIALS AND DRAWINGS.