RFEM was used in the BIM project for the bridge expansion at the SEW-Eurodrive plant.

The engineers of the Grassl GmbH design office created the load-bearing structure in Revit and Tekla Structures, and then imported it via direct interfaces into RFEM for structural analysis and design. The modifications to the sections made during the structural analysis could be transferred back to Revit and Tekla to update the digital model.

The expansion of the SEW-Eurodrive factory in Graben-Neudorf, Germany required the construction of a central bridge for the transportation of goods and personnel between the two sites separated by a county road.

This 106.20 m long bridge was designed as a thermally isolated steel truss structure with a width of 3.40 m and a height of approximately 2.45 m. The span lengths vary and reach a maximum of 35.50 m. The pedestrian level is a suspended steel structure hung by tension bars from the truss bridge.

Reinforced concrete columns support the bridge and absorb vertical and lateral loads. A reinforced concrete stair tower in the northern part serves as an anchorage point to absorb the longitudinal forces of the bridge.

The BIM approach used on this reference project has undeniable advantages. The client now has access to the complete structure model with different information about the construction elements. The digital model of the bridge structure can thus be used for maintenance, planning of works, etc.

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