Check out the following technical notes posted on the AASHTOWare BrDR Technical Support website at https://aashtowarebrdr.org/ on September 22, 2025. To access BrDR Technical Notes, navigate to the Bridge Design and Rating menu at the top, select Technical Notes from the menu, and login using brdr.
- Technical Note 85 – Gusset Plate Partial Shear Planes – BrDR version 7.7 updates the terminology used for gusset plate partial shear planes to improve clarity and consistency between the input tab and F1 Help. The shear plane directions are now labeled as Smaller Angle Partial Plane and Larger Angle Partial Plane to reduce misinterpretation. See Technical Note 85 – Gusset Plate Partial Shear Planes for more information.
- Technical Note 86 – Cross-frame Axial Rigidity Coefficients – Default Behavior – BrDR version 7.6 introduces input fields for axial rigidity coefficients in the Diaphragm Definitions window. For 3D LRFD/LRFR analysis with the 10th Edition of the LRFD Bridge Design Specifications, if no values are entered, BrDR now applies default coefficients as per Article 4.6.3.3.4c for single-angle and tee-section cross-frame members. This update may affect models created with earlier versions. See Technical Note 86 – Cross-frame Axial Rigidity Coefficients – Default Behavior for more information.
Please direct any questions to AASHTOWare Bridge Design and Rating Technical Support at BrDR@promiles.com.