Abstract
An erector's experience plays an important role in successfully erecting a precast, prestressed, concrete girder bridge. Commonly, the experienced erector establishes the method and sequence of the erection process heuristically, based on educated guesses, experiential judgment, and assumptions. This motivated the authors to develop EXPERECT, a knowledge-based expert system for erecting precast, prestressed, concrete girder bridges in the Kanto area of Japan. EXPERECT has been successfully tested on a limited basis. It introduces itself, its scope and limitations, and furnishes the user with substantial help statements; it informs the user as to why and how a particular erection method was chosen; and it furnishes the user with step-by-step recommendations to reach interim and final conclusions. In addition, EXPERECT presents the user with an animation of each erection method.
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