CSiBridge™ Version 15.2.

0
© Copyright Computers and Structures, Inc., 2012

Release Date: 2012-01-04

CSiBridge Version 15.2.0 is an intermediate update to Versions 15.0.0 to 15.1.1, and is distributed
electronically by download from the internet.

PLEASE READ THIS FILE!

It contains important information that may be more current than what is in the Manuals.

Contents

1. Installation Instructions for CSiBridge Version 15.2.0

2. Installation Instructions for License Manager 8.4.1
3. New Features for CSiBridge Version 15
4. File Compatibility with Older Versions
5. Significant Changes from Version 15.1.1
6. Important Notes for Users of SAP2000 v14 or Earlier

1. Installation Instructions for CSiBridge Version 15.2.0

CSiBridge Version 15.2.0 is available electronically as a full installation from a web download, or
on DVD by request. Installing CSiBridge Version 15.2.0 will uninstall Versions 15.0.0 to 15.1.1, if
present, but will not uninstall other CSI software.

The installation instructions are available in three places:

• By a separate link available on the web download page
• The “CSiBridge Installation Card” link on the installation browser.
• In the file CSiBridge_Install_Instructions.pdf in the root folder of the DVD.

The instructions include information about the software protection system used and installation
options and instructions. You can choose between a Standalone or Network installation.

Silent installation is also available for the Standalone and Workstation installations. For more
information, please visit wiki page https://wiki.csiberkeley.com/x/nIBa, or contact CSI Technical
Support.

A key driver is available for users who have licenses tied to a USB hardware key. This can be
installed from:
 • The full installation browser by clicking on the Key Driver Installation button.
• After installing the standalone version of CSiBridge, from the installed subfolder
“CSiBridge 15\KeyDriver\”.
• After installing the network version of CSiBridge, from the installed subfolder
“CSiBridge 15 Server\License Manager\KeyDriver\”.

If your key is not recognized, please install the key driver.

Windows User Account Control (UAC)

For recent versions of the Windows operating system (Windows 7, Vista, and XP SP3), User
Account Control (UAC) is enabled by default. When UAC is turned on, you must explicitly give
permission to any program, such as CSiBridge or the installer, that wants to use "Administrative"
privileges. Any program that tries to use Administrative privileges without your permission will be
denied access.

The installation of the Standalone, Server, and Workstation installations for CSiBridge require
"Administrative" privileges to run. When installing CSiBridge with UAC enabled, you should
expect to be prompted to allow the installer access to system folders and Windows registry. Please
allow it to continue so that the installation can complete.

Deleting the Trial License in a Standalone Installation

The following information applies to the Standalone installation only. It does not apply to the
Network Server or Workstation installations.

When installing CSiBridge v15 for the first time, a trial license file “lservrc” is included in the
installation folder. When CSiBridge is updated by a subsequent installation, the “lservrc” file will
not be overwritten by a new trial license. This is done to prevent overwriting of a Standalone
license, if present.

Because of this, the “lservrc” file should not be deleted (it may be overwritten by a Standalone
license). Otherwise the setup process will be triggered when CSiBridge is run. If you need to
deactivate the trial license before the trial period expires, such as to test the use of a network
license, please do the following:
• Rename the trial license to “lservrc.trial” in case you need it later
• Create a dummy text file on your desktop, rename it to “lservrc” with no extension, and
copy it to the CSiBridge v15 installation folder.
• If you no longer want to use the network license, replace “lservrc” with the trial license file
you saved, or obtain a Standalone license from CSi.
2. Installation Instructions for License Manager 8.4.1

The information in this section does not apply if you are using Standalone licenses.

For new Network installations, see the System Administrator's Help for more detailed information
about the License Manager and the License Manager Administration program “WlmAdmin.exe”.

This installation contains Sentinel RMS License Manager 8.4.1.

• If you are currently running Version 8.4.1 or higher of Sentinel RMS you do not need to re-
install License Manager.

• If you are currently running a version that is older than 8.4.1 then you must install version
8.4.1 or later. Uninstall the older version prior to installing this version.

IMPORTANT! All commuter licenses should be checked in before uninstalling the old
version. Note that Sentinel RMS License Manager 8.4.1 will recognize older licenses for
Computer and Structures products. Please refer to the CSiBridge_Install_Instructions.pdf
file for information on how to do this.

To speed up finding a network license when CSiBridge is launched, you can do either or both of
the following:
• Create a text file, LEVEL.TXT, and enter the ProgramLevel in a single line. The
ProgramLevel should be one of the following:
ADVANCED RATING / ADVANCED / PLUS RATING / PLUS /
ADVANCED RATINGC / ADVANCEDC / PLUS RATINGC / PLUSC
Save this file to the folder where CSiBridge is installed. This file will cause the program to
find the license faster. Note that this file will be included when a new license is sent.

• Create a text file, LMHOST.INI, and enter the network name or static IP address of the
machine that is running the License Manager. If you are serving licenses on more than one
machine, enter each name or static IP address on a separate line of text. Save this file to the
folder where CSiBridge is installed.

As an alternative to using the LEVEL.TXT file, you can specify the program level as a command-
line option. To do this, use the Windows Run command or create a shortcut pointing to
CSiBridge.exe in the installation folder. Add the following text to the command line after
“CSiBridge.exe” and a space:

/L ProgramLevel

where ProgramLevel is one of the values listed above for the LEVEL.TXT file. Specifying
ProgramLevel on the command line will supersede the value in the LEVEL.TXT file.

If you experience problems with the license please refer to the appropriate “License Trouble
Shooting Guide...” located in the CSiBridge program folder.
3. New Features for CSiBridge Version 15

CSiBridge v15 is a new product released in 2010 for the structural analysis and design of bridge
structures. For a full list of features and capabilities, please visit the CSiBridge v15 news page at
http://www.csiberkeley.com/CSiBridge_news/v15/.

4. File Compatibility with Older Versions

CSiBridge Version 15.2.0 can open model files (*.BDB), as well as import database files (*.B2K,
*.$BR, *.XLS, and *.MDB), from CSiBridge Versions 15.0.0 to 15.1.1. Note that once you save or
run these models in Version 15.2.0, they will not be usable by older versions of the program, so you
should always save them under a new name after opening or importing them in Version 15.2.0.

It is generally advisable to update the linked bridge model for all bridge objects after opening a
model file in a newer version. However, if you had modified the linked bridge model after last
updating it, these changes may get overwritten, so do so with caution.

See Topic 6 below for information about importing models from SAP2000 v14 and earlier.
5. Significant Changes from Version 15.1.1

Significant changes that have been made from Version 15.1.1 are listed here. For a complete list of
changes, please see the separate file ReleaseNotes.PDF in the CSiBridge installation folder and
available by using the Orb > Resources > Documentation command in CSiBridge. Note that most
changes do not affect most users.

Significant Changes from v15.1.1 (Released 2011-08-29)

Modeling
Enhancements Implemented
Incident Description
38690 The definition of material properties has been enhanced as follows (for additional details,
see the file ReleaseNotes.PDF):
(1) Code-specified and other pre-defined material properties are now defined in the
installed files "CSiMaterialPropertyLibrary*.xml" located in subfolder "Property
Libraries" under the CSiBridge installation folder. Additional material property libraries
that use the "CSiMaterialPropertyLibrary.xsd" schema may also be added by the user to
this subfolder and/or to subfolder "Property Libraries" under the user settings folder where
the "CSiBridgev15.ini" file is located.
(2) Within each file, properties are grouped under user-defined Regions (e.g., China,
Europe, or USA). Within regions, properties are grouped under user-defined Standards
(e.g., ASTM A572). Within Standards, individual materials are defined to be of a certain
type (concrete, steel, aluminum, cold-formed, rebar, tendon, or other) and identified by a
user-defined label called Grade.
(3) When adding a new material to a model in the graphical user interface (GUI), pre-
defined materials may be chosen by Region, type, Standard, and Grade. Once the new
material is defined, its properties may be modified by the user.
(4) A built-in Region, Standard, and Grade called "User" are also available for each
material type. The corresponding properties can be directly edited by the user and do not
make use of the pre-defined materials in the property libraries.

Loading
Enhancements Implemented
Incident Description
35833 Vehicle loads have been added bridge design according to EN 1991-2:2003, Eurocode 1:
Actions on structures - Part 2: Traffic loads on bridges.

Bridge Design and Rating

Enhancements Implemented
Incident Description
35831 Load combinations and design load types have been added for bridge design according to
the code EN 1991-2:2003, Eurocode 1: Actions on structures - Part 2: Traffic loads on
bridges.
 Incident Description
35834 Design checking has been implemented for concrete superstructure sections according to
the "Eurocode EN 1992-2" code (EN 1992-2:2005, Eurocode 2: Design of concrete
structures - Part 2: Concrete bridges - design and detailing rules). Superstructure types
supported include prestressed concrete box girders and composite sections with precast I-
girders and U-girders. Separate design checks are provided for stress, flexural strength, and
shear strength using MCFT (modified compression field theory). The effect of mild
reinforcing is included as well as the prestress tendons. Live-load distribution factors can
be automatically calculated using code formulae, specified by the user, or determined from
detailed 3-D live-load analysis. Design results are displayed graphically for the entire box
section, or on a girder-by-girder basis for multi-celled box girders and composite sections.
Detailed tables showing all results and intermediate values are available for display,
printing, and export to Excel or Access.

Bridge Modeler
Incidents Resolved
Incident Description
37899 An Incident was resolved where the generation of a linked bridge model was sometimes
39522 very slow when there were many tendons present in the bridge object. This was an
39704 inconvenience, but the generated model was correct and no results were affected. This
40104 problem only affected version 15.1.1.
39794 An incident was resolved for the bridge modeler in which spine models generated for
39952 curved bridges with the deck horizontally offset from the layout line sometimes had
40669 connectivity problems near the upstation ends of curved spans. The frame elements
representing the superstructure spine could be missing or improperly connected to joints
far from the bridge structure. When this occurred the problem was obvious, and the results
were consistent with the generated model.
40060 An incident has been resolved for the bridge modeler where the thickness of the slab
41285 elements generated for the linked model of steel-girder bridges updated as areas was
sometimes zero on the upstation side of staggered diaphragms. This could occur where the
staggered diaphragm intersected a girder at a location that was not a superstructure section
cut, which causes the slab to be meshed locally at the girder rather than across the full
width of the deck. In addition, at such locations, parametric variations in slab thickness
were not properly interpolated for the slab elements generated on the downstation side of
the staggered diaphragm. Analysis and design results were consistent with the linked
model as generated.

Analysis
Incidents Resolved
Incident Description
37850 An incident was resolved where cable forces were not being correctly reported for moving-
load analyses based on influence lines and surfaces. The influence value was being taken
as zero at all but the last load point. In most cases this resulted in zero or a very small
response. Step-by-step moving-load analysis was not affected. No other response
(displacement, force, or stress) was affected. Only versions 15.1.0 and 15.1.1 were
affected.
Bridge Design and Rating
Incidents Resolved
Incident Description
37826 An incident has been resolved for Bridge Seismic Design in which the program-generated
gravity load case used as the initial condition for the pushover analyses of the bents was
not including the weight of the superstructure at single-bearing bents in the case where
these were located at either end of the bridge object instead of an abutment. This could
affect the pushover (capacity) results for those bents only, i.e., single-bearing bents located
at an abutment, and only for seismic design category D where pushover analysis was used
to compute the capacity. Interior single-bearing bents were not affected. Double-bearing
bents were not affected whether they were interior or at the ends of the bridge object.
Seismic categories A, B, and C were not affected. Demands were not affected. Cracked
properties were not affected. The error was over-conservative for concrete columns when it
occurred.
6. Important Notes for Users of SAP2000 v14 or Earlier

CSiBridge v15 can import model files having the *.SDB file extension from SAP2000 v14 or older
by using the Orb > Import > SAP2000 command. Note that once you save or run these models in
CSiBridge, the new files will not be usable by SAP2000 v14, so you should save them under a new
name after importing them in CSiBridge. The name is changed automatically by CSiBridge, which
will append “_V15” to the imported filename.

When importing a SAP2000 model that contains bridge objects into CSiBridge, you will receive a
message suggesting that you update the linked model for all bridge objects. This will make sure
that the linked model is fully compatible with CSiBridge v15. However, you should be aware that
any changes you may have made to the linked model in SAP2000 after last updating it may be
overwritten by this process, and you may need to make these changes again in CSiBridge.

Almost all features available in SAP2000 v14 are also available in CSiBridge v15, and new
features have been added.

A ribbon menu structure has been implemented in place of the drop-down menus of SAP2000. The
ribbon is organized in a way that focuses on bridge models and it follows the typical workflow used
to model, analyze, design, and display results for bridge structures. More advanced and less
commonly used capabilities are included on the Advanced tab of the ribbon.

The Open Application Programmers Interface (OAPI) maintains source code compatibility between
SAP2000 v14 and CSiBridge v15. Two changes are required to migrate any existing source code:

• The reference should be changed from “Sap2000.exe” to “CSiBridge15.dll” for .NET

projects or to “CSiBridge.exe” for other projects.

• The type library name has changed from “Sap2000” to “CSiBridge15”, requiring all
instances in the source code to be modified.