ABSTRACT
One of the governing parameters when designing bridges to cross waters with ship traffic is the design against ship collision. The bridge girders on the approach bridges are designed to resist deckhouse collision. This chapter describes two of the structural analyses carried out in connection with the projects, ship collision to the superstructure on the Great Belt, East Bridge, and ship collision to the pylons on the high bridge of the Oresund Link. The dynamic nature of a ship collision combined with non-linear response of the structure in a state with limited damages, makes serious demands to the analysis and subsequent to the analysis tools to limit excessive use of materials for this unlikely load case. The deckhouse collision studies showed that the inclined side panels can be expected to be damaged during an impact. As ship collision is a governing load case for several main elements in a bridge crossing navigable waters.
