How AbLoads checks structures

Once the route has been plotted AbLoads performs a uniform & secure check of every bridge along the route against the specific axle loads and spacings stated within the notification and a simple traffic light display reports to the operator the results. If a structure has failed at the checking process the software compiles an email back to the haulier with the relevant detail of the route issues.

AbLoads checks notifications using the AbLoads checking engine, which operates at a more sophisticated level than the ESDAL ICA system.

The structure modelling used by AbLoads is sophisticated, treating all spans of a structure as a whole and taking full account of the articulation i.e. the nature of the connections between its component parts of the structure. The effect of the vehicle, represented by its axle loads and spacings, is maximised by moving it across the structure in both directions, a process that can lead the system to evaluate as many as 100 load cases for a multispan continuous bridge. All of these calculations take place in seconds resulting in a safe, secure but not over conservative checking process that is fair to authorities and hauliers alike.

Read 'How AbLoads checks structures' (PDF)

AbLoads performs a uniform & secure check of every bridge along the route against the specific axle loads and spacings stated within the notification and a simple traffic light display reports to the operator the results.