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10 Mar 10 - LimitState:RING downloads moved to www.limitstate.com
23 Dec 09 - ring2.0k available for download
02 Nov 09 - December Seminars on 'Analysis of Masonry Arch Bridges' anounced
12 Oct 09 - Changes to LimitState:RING distribution and customer support arrangements
02 Apr 09 - LimitState MD presents at the Surveyor Bridges conference
05 Feb 09 - Update - Masonry Arch Analysis Seminars
01 Dec 08 - More FREE masonry arch analysis seminars announced for 2009
28 Nov 08 - LimitState Newsletter out now
16 Oct 08 - ring2.0j available - English, French & Spanish versions
Older News - Click here
10th March 2010
LimitState:RING downloads moved to www.limitstate.com
Following the introduction of a brand new www.limitstate.com, www.masonryarch.com has stopped accepting new registrations for downloads. Usernames and passwords are not compatible, so users who have previously registered here will need to re-register on the new site. The new site includes a client support portal, and all LimitState clients will shortly be sent details of how to access this along with other material.
The new website includes all the LimitState:RING information from this site (masonryarch.com), as well as information about the geotechnical analysis software LimitState:GEO.
You can be assured that all the important information from www.masonryarch.com is now available on www.limitstate.com. This site will not disappear, but will continue to exist as a repository for information regarding masonry arch bridges, their analysis and design.
23rd December 2009
ring2.0k available for download
LimitState are pleased to able to announce that LimitState:RING 2.0k is now available for download. This maintenance release incorporates several enhancements and fixes such as an upgraded vehicle database, improved efficiency for multi-span, multi-vehicle problems and support for the RLM licensing system (logged in users please see here for release notes). All users are advised to upgrade to this new version as soon as possible.
Users with an existing license supplied by Bestech Systems can install the 2.0k[FlexLM] version. However, also note that an alternative license system is available to academic users who download the the 2.0k[RLM] version; see the academic licensing page for details. Users of this system will no longer need to annually apply to renew their network and/or standalone license(s).
Click here to proceed to the download page.
December Seminars on 'Analysis of Masonry Arch Bridges' anounced
LimitState are pleased to announce that we will be holding a series of seminars in early December:
| 2/12 |
MANCHESTER
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Britannia Hotel |
Analysis of Masonry Arch Bridges |
10:00am - 13:00pm |
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Britannia Hotel | Advances in Geotechnical Limit Analysis | 14:00pm - 17:00pm |
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| 3/12 | CENTRAL LONDON |
Royal Institution Naval Architects |
Masonry Arch Bridge Analysis | 10:00am - 13:00pm |
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Royal Institution Naval Architects | Advances in Geotechnical Limit Analysis | 14:00pm - 17:00pm |
To find out more and to register for any of these events, simply visit the events pages on www.limitstate.com.
Changes to LimitState:RING distribution and customer support arrangements
As part of the continuing development of the company, LimitState are pleased to announce that they are now handling all LimitState:RING sales and support matters directly. Existing customers can be assured that we are working hard to ensure that the transfer is as seamless as possible. Some of the exciting things that we have planned for the forthcoming months include:
- A brand new 'support portal' to give you a direct line to the developers
- A series of informative technical notes and tutorials available through bright new web pages, soon to be available at www.limitstate.com
- Significant upgrades to the software
We will also be switching to a new licensing system, RLM, which we have used in LimitState:GEO for over a year. It is very similar to the current system in LimitState:RING but is more modern, flexible and generally easier to manage for network administrators. The RLM system was developed by the originators of FlexLM.
If you, or your organization, have any queries regarding these changes, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
2nd April 2009
LimitState MD presents at the Surveyor Bridges conference
In his presentation entitled ‘Masonry arch bridges - Where are we?’ at the 2009 Surveyor Bridges conference, Dr. Matthew Gilbert, MD of LimitState and also Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering at the University of Sheffield outlined the strengths and weaknesses of current analysis and assessment methods for masonry arch bridges and also presented recent research findings, including those from work undertaken at the Universities of Sheffield and Salford funded by the UK County Surveyor's Society.
5th February 2009
Update - Masonry Arch Analysis Seminars
Many thanks to all those who attended our recent seminars on Masonry Arch Analysis - it was good to meet so many people. For those of you who were unable to make it to make it to Birmingham, Sheffield or Bristol we hope to run further seminars ln the future, so please keep a lookout for announcements on these pages.
1st December 2008
More FREE Masonry Arch Analysis Seminars Announced for 2009
LimitState are pleased to announce that, in conjunction with Bestech Systems Ltd, we will be holding 3 more of our popular 'Masonry Arch Analysis' seminars in early 2009. As usual, we expect places on these highly popular courses to be snapped up quickly so, if you are interested in attending, or to find out more, visit www.limitstate.com/events.
| 27 January | |
Birmingham | |
Britannia Hotel |
| 29 January |
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Sheffield | |
Innovation Centre |
| 3 Feb |
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Bristol | |
Empire Museum |
LimitState Newsletter out now
The first issue of the LimitState newsletter is now out. With a mix of news and features there's something of interest for users of both LimitState:RING and LimitState:GEO, our geotechnical stability analysis software. In this quarter's issue:
Including reinforcement in LimitState:RING: Since LimitState:RING 2.0 was launched in 2007, many users have enquired whether it is possible to include reinforcement in the software and now a test version of LimitState:RING (version 2.1 beta) has been developed...[read more]
To read this aticle, and more, simply download the newsletter [900kb].
ring2.0j available for download
ring2.0j contains a whole host of upgrades and enhancements since the last major release. Main highlights include translation into French and Spanish, as well as German and Arabic 'beta' translations - all accessible via the preferences dialog. Additionally, UK Highways Agency BD37 & BD21 highway vehicles have been added to the Vehicle Database. To experence these, and many other improvements, visit the downloads page and try ring2.0j for yourself - free!
ring2.0 featured in 'The Structural Engineer' magazine
ring2.0 was recently the subject of a 3 page article in 'The Structural Engineer' - the magazine of the Institution of Structural Engineers. The piece highlighted how ring2.0 can help the engineer understand how a masonry arch carries load, how it might fail if overloaded and also rapidly answer the kind of ‘what if’ questions engineers often face
For more information, visit the IStructE website or download the article here.
FREE Seminars on Bridge Analysis & Design
Following on from a highly successful event in Manchester last year, LimitState and Bestech Systems Ltd are teaming up once again to hold a series of free morning and afternoon seminars on bridge analysis and design in the following venues:
| 21 May | |
London | |
Institution of Structural Engineers |
| 4 June | |
Glasgow | |
Marriott Hotel |
| 25 June | |
Dublin | |
Marriott Ashbourne (Airport) |
The afternoon sessions will be devoted to 'Analysis of masonry arch bridges', whilst the morning sessions will be on 'SAM-LEAP5 the integrated bridge design software'. Both seminars are entirely free and people are most welcome to come along to one, or both.
Afternoon Session: 'Analysis of masonry arch bridges'
The seminar is designed to benefit practising senior bridge engineers, bridge engineers, civil engineers and consultants. Topics will be relevant to both potential and current users of masonry arch analysis software.
What Will be Covered?
Masonry arch bridges are ubiquitous yet many engineers freely admit to not adequately understanding how they behave. In these seminars we will demonstrate that ring2.0, a state-of-the-art analysis software program, permits both rapid assessment of masonry arch bridges and also allows the user to gain a much better understanding of how these bridges work.
Last year we ran similar seminars in Manchester, and they proved to be very successful. At the time many people requested that we also arrange seminars in other locations, and we are now pleased to be able to offer the above dates / locations.
After outlining the theory and experimental validation work which underpins ring2.0, we will use case studies to demonstrate how the software can be applied to bridges in the field. The seminars will include live demonstrations of the software so that you can see just how easy it is to use. As one engineer told us recently, "ring2.0 is faster and easier to use than MEXE!"
- Multi-span bridge analysis
- Railway underbridge analysis
- Identification of mechanisms involving sliding failures
- Localized loss of mortar
- Settlement analysis
These features in ring2.0 enable you to model masonry arches more accurately than has been the case before, in many cases revealing that a bridge has higher capacity than originally thought.
The originator of the software, Dr Matthew Gilbert of the University of Sheffield and LimitState Ltd, will be on hand to answer questions.
To Register
For more information or to register for the afternoon session, please email ring2-seminars@bestech.co.uk
Morning Session: 'SAM-LEAP5 the integrated bridge design software'
- A new interface for the analysis module has made it more powerful than ever.
- The software now incorporates Eurocodes, as well as designing to BS 5400 and the DMRB.
- A new post-tensioned beams module has been added.
This short seminar will allow you to catch a glimpse of the full power of this bridge design software, and hear about our Eurocodes implementation. We will cover what the program does, how it links together, and will show a short demonstration to show some of the more useful benefits, especially that of using software to help you with Eurocode training.
More engineers choose ring2.0
ring2.0 is becoming the software of choice for consulting engineers all over the world. The software is now licensed in countries from Australia to Brazil, Canada to Hungary. Check out just a few of our clients.
Version 2.0h & ring2.0 Theory and Modelling Guide now available online
ring2.0h is now available for download to registered users. To obtain your copy, simply login to the User Area as normal and proceed to the download zone. Or to view details of the enhancements and bugfixes made, please visit the Release History page in the User Area. ring2.0h is distributed with a new Theory and Modelling Guide which explains both the theory underlying the software and how it can be applied in practice.
Manchester ring2.0 seminar - Wednesday 21st November
On 21st November, LimitState and Bestech Systems presented a series of seminars on the analysis of masonry arch bridges. Held in the welcoming environment of the Etrop Grange Hotel, the event was well received, attracting over 50 delegates, each discovering how they can use ring2.0 to rapidly and reliably analyse masonry bridges. The creator of ring, Dr Matthew Gilbert, was in attendence to present and also field questions from the audience. A PowerPoint copy of his presentation is available for logged-in users to download [20.2Mb].
ring used in prize winning paper
ring was successfully used to predict the detrimental effect of flooding on masonry arch bridge strength in an award winning ICE paper:
"Load-carrying capacity of flooded masonry arched bridges."
Predictions from the software were in close agreement with those from laboratory tests for dry and flooded model arch bridges.
Whilst the potential for fast flowing water to undermine bridge foundations is well known, this study involved replicating the situation of a submerged bridge lying in a flood plain. Given the increasing prevalence of flooding worldwide, and the very large numbers of masonry arch bridges still in service, this was a timely study.
The prize winning paper can now be downloaded freely from:
http://www.thomastelford.com/journals/freepapers.asp
Version 2.0d now available online
ring2.0d is now available for download to registered users. In addition to various upgrades to the software, the installation manual has been updated and the licensing process made even easier. To obtain your copy of the software, simply login to the user area as normal and proceed to the download zone. A release history page has also been created to keep you up-to-date with the improvements that have been made.
9th May 2007