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Published

bridge

vr.tr.bridge · thing-q12280

Let an agent treat a bridge as infrastructure with a structural type, a load rating, an owner, an inspection regime and restrictions of use.

Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.BLT
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Structure Form, span and materials.

Structural form

Beam, arch, truss or cable.

Structural type

The structural form and spans.

  1. What is the structural form, and what are its spans? definition
  2. What materials make up the main elements? definition

Design basis

Code and load model.

Design standard

The code and loads it was designed for.

  1. To which code and load model was it designed, and when? provenance
  2. Has it been strengthened since? provenance
Capacity and restrictions What may cross.

Load rating

Assessed capacity.

Assessed capacity

The current load rating.

  1. What is the current load rating? measurement
  2. When was it last assessed? provenance

Limits of use

Weight, height, width and speed.

Posted limits

The limits posted and enforced.

  1. Which weight, height or width limits apply? boundary
  2. How are they enforced? action
Inspection and condition State of the structure.

Inspection

Cycle and findings.

Inspection record

Latest inspection and rating.

  1. When was it last inspected, and what condition rating was given? measurement
  2. What defects were found? measurement

Foundations and scour

Risk to supports.

Scour assessment

The scour risk and monitoring.

  1. Is the bridge at risk from scour, and is it monitored? boundary
  2. What happens in a flood warning? action
Ownership and status Who is responsible.

Owner

Responsible authority.

Owner and operator

The owner and operator.

  1. Who owns and maintains this bridge? provenance
  2. How are defects reported? action

Status

Open, restricted, closed, heritage.

Current status

Operational and heritage status.

  1. Is the bridge open, restricted or closed now? boundary
  2. Is it a protected heritage structure? definition

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Physical world and living systems
Entry kind
thing
Plane
PHY
Domain
PHY.BLT
Other names and narrower kinds
tree bridge, stone bridge, moon bridge, stone arch bridge, Sutherland Estates 1830s bridge, nine-turn bridge, wildlife crossing, viaduct, pontoon bridge, aircraft bridge, zig-zag bridge, fauna bridge

What it is Filled

A structure that carries a road, railway, path, pipe or animal crossing over an obstacle such as water, a valley or another route, while leaving the space beneath open.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent treat a bridge as infrastructure with a structural type, a load rating, an owner, an inspection regime and restrictions of use.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Leaves the space beneath open, unlike a causeway or embankment
  • Classified by structural form and by what it carries
  • Has a load rating and inspection history
  • Wildlife crossings and pipe bridges are bridges too

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Cross or route vehicles over a bridge beyond its limits.
  • Damage or interfere with a bridge's structure or protection.
  • Declare a bridge safe after an impact or flood without an inspection by its owner.
  • Help in attacking or sabotaging a bridge.

Only with a human decision

  • Closing or reopening a bridge.
  • Changing its load rating or restrictions.

May

  • Cross a bridge within its posted weight, height and width limits.
  • Report damage, scour, impacts and closures to the bridge owner.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Bridge failures kill many people at once; maintenance is a public duty.
  • Bridges connect communities; closures cut people off from services.

Who is affected

  • People crossing it
  • People below it
  • Communities it connects

Owners Filled

Steward

The bridge owner, usually the road, rail or waterway authority.

Master systems

  • Bridge inventories of the infrastructure owner

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q618123 - registry parent class
  • Q811979 - registry parent class
  • Q83620 - registry parent class

related

  • road and railway - bridges are links in networks
  • structure - inherits structural design and inspection
  • bridge inspection regime - condition ratings drive restrictions
  • bridge as a card game or network device - homonyms; this entry is the structure

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.bridge
  • Wikidata: Q12280 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12280)
  • national bridge inventory number: country-specific for example the US National Bridge Inventory structure number

Direct properties required Filled

  • span: 2-2000 m - longest suspension spans approach 2 km
  • design life: 50-120 years
  • load rating: varies tonnes or load model - set by national codes

Recognition required Filled

  • A deck spanning a gap with supports at its ends and often in between
  • Structural form visible as arch, beam, truss, suspension or cable-stayed
  • Signs showing weight, height or width limits
  • A deck supported by piers, arches, cables or trusses spanning a gap; ranges from a timber footbridge to a multi-kilometre cable-stayed crossing.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • cross it, subject to weight, height and width limits
  • inspect it, on a regular cycle
  • rate it, for load capacity and condition
  • close, repair or replace it

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Collapse from overloading, scour, fatigue or corrosion
  • Strikes by over-height vehicles or ships
  • Scour of foundations in floods
  • Deferred maintenance that lowers the load rating

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Eurocodes EN 1990-1999 and national annexes
  • AASHTO LRFD bridge design specifications
  • National bridge inspection standards

Context of use required Filled

  • Crossing obstacles without blocking what lies beneath.
  • by form: beam, arch, truss, cantilever, suspension, cable-stayed
  • by use: road, rail, foot, pipe, aqueduct, wildlife crossing
  • by material: stone, timber, steel, concrete, composite
  • by movement: fixed, bascule, swing, lift

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q12280: bridge - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Bridge - general description of the item

Open questions

  • Should named bridges be registered as instances with inventory numbers?
  • How should load restrictions be represented for routing agents?
  • How should heritage status interact with safety restrictions?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q12280/spec.json