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Description/Summary: Life-cycle costing software for preliminary bridge design
BridgeLCC is user-friendly life-cycle costing software developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help bridge engineers assess the cost effectiveness of new, alternative construction materials. The software uses a life-cycle costing methodology based on both ASTM standard E 917 and a cost classification developed at NIST. BridgeLCC is specifically tailored for comparing new and conventional bridge materials --- for example, high-performance concrete versus conventional concrete --- but works equally well when analyzing alternative conventional materials. Also, it can be used to analyze pavements, piers, and other civil infrastructure. Uses:Tools for Designing Cost-Effective Building Systems The Office of Applied Economics develops economic methods and software to aid industry in evaluating the cost effectiveness of new-technology construction materials, "green" building materials, building energy systems, and other construction/building processes. BridgeLCC 2.0 supports this effort by helping engineers to evaluate bridge-related design decisions, including
Figure 1. BridgeLCC Cost Summary Window BridgeLCC 2.0 uses an economic methodology based on the ASTM Standard Practice for measuring the life-cycle costs of buildings and building systems (E 917). The software includes a cost classification scheme that helps insure that all costs are accounted for and are well organized so that useful comparisons can be made quickly between project alternatives. Analyses are carried out in discrete steps, which are now listed on the left side of the BridgeLCC Cost Summary Window (Figure 1). Basic Mode: Deterministic Analyses Sensitivity Analysis Figure 2. Sensitivity Analysis Window Advanced Mode: Uncertainty and Risk Figure 3. Analysis of Results Window Supporting Tools Figure 4. Workzones Window BridgeLCC 2.0 also includes an expanded Concrete Service Life Prediction Tool for estimating bridge damage caused by exposure to road salts. Improvements over BridgeLCC 1.0
Interest Rates The following inflation and discount rates are recommended for use in BridgeLCC.
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DetailsVersion: 2.0 Last Updated: September 2003 Type of software: Life-cycle costing software Authors:Mark A. Ehlen System/Platform:BridgeLCC is designed to run in Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, and XP on a computer that has at least a 600MHZ Pentium-level processor, 64MB of RAM, 30MB of available hard disk space, and a video card that supports 1024x768 resolution. Download information:BridgeLCC is packaged as a self-extracting file. Download BridgeLCC 2.0 (9/24/03) (18.7 MB) Installation Double-click the downloaded file. This will create a set of files; double-click on the file "setup.bat." Be sure you have at least one printer installed and selected as the default printer; otherwise BridgeLCC may not print reports. Uninstalling To remove BridgeLCC from your computer, run "Uninstall BridgeLCC" from the Windows Start Menu. Make sure that you first copy to another location any "*.LCC" analysis files you need to keep. BridgeLCC Version 2.0 currently does not open files created in BridgeLCC Version 1.0. Documentation:Several publications provide useful information about BridgeLCC and the life-cycle costing of highway bridges. Novice users of Windows software and of life-cycle costing should read the BridgeLCC Users Manual listed below. The other publications help describe the concepts underlying the life-cycle costing of new-technology materials such as high-performance concrete and FRP composites. The Economics of New-Technology Materials: A Case Study of FRP Bridge Decking References/Credits/Disclaimers: BridgeLCC is designed to be consistent with the ASTM standard practice for measuring the life-cycle costs of buildings and building systems (E 917). This standard can be obtained from the American Society for Testing and Materials.
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