October - ACO - NATO

KFOR CHRONICLE20Oct. 31, 2005Text and photos 1st LT Maksym Nedria,Ukrainian ArmySixteen bridges within Kosovo does not havebridge classification. Bridge classification is ameasure of the maximum weight that a bridge canwithstand, based on the tonnage of the heaviestvehicle, which is allowed to cross it. Therefore, aspecial team equipped with a new technology andmodern equipment arrived in the theater fromUniversity of the German Armed Forces andEngineer School, Munich, Germany on October13. They were tasked to perform the mission ofclassifying the bridges in 13 days.Classification tests the structural strength of thebridge. Normally a safety margin of almost 100percent is kept while determining the bridge's classification,therefore, if a bridge is classified as class9, it can actually withstand up to 18 tons of weight.Bridge and vehicle classification allows vehicleoperators to avoid bridge failure due to overloading.Vehicle operators may drive across withoutrestrictions if their vehicles' class numbers are lessthan or equal to the bridge class number. All classifiedvehicles and bridges in the theater of operationsrequire classification signs. Bridge classificationsigns are circular with a yellow backgroundand black inscriptions.Three professors and six assistances from theUniversity of the German Armed Forces have beeninvolved with the Bridges' Classification projectsince 2000. MAJ Dobmeier, Head of EngineeringSupport Center at Engineer School is in charge ofthe bridges' classification team, which consists offour scientists from the university and two militaryengineers. COL Helmut Alois Bach, ChiefEngineer, KFOR HQ supported activity of the teamwithin Kosovo.According to Norbert Romen, scientific assistance,University of the German Armed Forces, it takesonly 3 hours to make an assessment when classifyinga bridge. "Due to the new technology, it's notnecessary to stop the traffic and use heavy-weighttrucks or wheeled vehicles. The entire equipmentis now contained in one minibus," said Romen ashe took measurements."First, we take geometrical, frequency and materialproperties measurements. Then we input thedata into a special software 'Bridge AssessmentCode' to get an assessment about the bridge'sclassification," said Kerstin Bierbrauer, scientificassistance, University of the German ArmedForces."The final approval of the Military LoadClassification of bridges will be done according toSTANAG 2021 ENGR," said MAJ Dobmeier.www.nato.int/kfor