Materials

This section defines the material properties for concrete, reinforcing steel, structural steel, and prestressing strands used in the bridge model.

Navigation: Properties > Materials

For detailed parameter explanations, see the Materials Reference.

Steps

Step 1: Navigate to Materials

Navigate to Properties > Materials in the tree view.

Navigation

Step 2: Import Steel Materials

Click the three-dots icon on the first cell under Name and select Import Material.

Import the following steel materials from the OpenBrIM Library:

Reinforcement Steel:

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Steel Material Database (US) > Reinforcement Steel > A615_60

Structural Steel:

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Steel Material Database (US) > Structural Steel > A709_50

Import Material
Material Library

Step 3: Import Concrete Materials

Import the following concrete materials:

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Concrete Material Database (US) > US AASHTO > Fc_3_1/2ksi

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Concrete Material Database (US) > US AASHTO > Fc_4ksi

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Concrete Material Database (US) > US AASHTO > Fc_4_1/2ksi

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Concrete Material Database (US) > US AASHTO > Fc_5_1/2ksi

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Concrete Material Database (US) > US AASHTO > Fc_6ksi

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Concrete Material Database (US) > US AASHTO > Fc_8_1/2ksi

Concrete Materials

Step 4: Import Prestressing Steel

Import the prestressing strand material:

  • OpenBrIM Bridge Objects > Steel Material Database (US) > Prestressing Steel > A416_270low_relaxation

Step 5: Define Custom Concrete Material

Create a custom material named Fc_3_1/2ksi_NoStiffness.

This material is used for components like barriers where stiffness should be excluded during construction analysis.

Custom Material

Step 6: Define Rigid Material

Add a new row and create a RigidMaterial for rigid connections.

Always set the unit weight of rigid materials to 0 to avoid adding artificial mass to the model.

Quick Tip: Stress-Strain Curves

Each material type includes a default stress-strain curve used for section capacity calculations based on the strain compatibility method.

To view or modify curves:

  1. Click the three-dots icon on a material and select Edit

  2. Select Stress/Strain Model from the dropdown

  3. The corresponding Stress/Strain Curve will update automatically

Stress-Strain Model
Stress-Strain Curve

Verification

After completing these steps, your material definitions should match the view shown below.

Completed Materials
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