Concrete bridge explained

Concrete bridges are a type of bridge, constructed out of concrete. They started to appear widely in the early 20th century.

History

thumb|Homersfield Bridge, England, cast iron reinforced, constructed 1869-1870Unreinforced concrete has been used in bridge construction since antiquity: the Romans incorporated concrete cores into a number of their masonry bridges and aqueducts, along with constructing spanning water conduits of concrete.^{[1] [2]} From the late 18th century cast iron framed bridges may have had an unreinforced cast concrete deck, or had their structure encased in concrete, for example the Homersfield Bridge, constructed between 1869 and 1870, between the English counties of Suffolk and Norfolk.^[3] In 1873, Frenchman Joseph Monier obtained a French patent for a method of iron-wire reinforced concrete bridge construction;^[4] his first iron-wire reinforced concrete bridge was constructed across the moat of the marquis de Tillièrein's, in 1875.^{[5] [6]} This and all later bridges made according to Monier's system patterned the construction of previously used stone bridges. Their main structural unit was an arch barrel. All barrel sections were reinforced similarly, regardless of the forces acting on it.

The longest steel reinforced bridge, in 2024, is the Tian'e Longtan Bridge, Guangxi Zhuang, China.^[7]

The US's longest unreinforced concrete span, is the arch of the, 1910, Rocky River Bridge in Cleveland, Ohio.^[8]

Early extant examples include:

Finland

• Savisilta "clay bridge", Ylivieska, the second oldest concrete bridge in Finland. (reinforced concrete, constructed 1912).

France

• Pont du jardin des plantes, Grenoble, foorbridge (cast concrete, constructed 1855)
• Bridge across the moat at Château de Chazelet (iron-wire reinforced concrete, constructed 1875)

United Kingdom

• Homersfield Bridge, River Waveney, England (cast and wrought iron reinforced, span, constructed 1869-1870)
• Axmouth Bridge, on the River Axe at Seaton, Devon (unreinforced, middle span, opened 1877)^[9]
• Glenfinnan Viaduct, Scotland (unreinforced, twenty-one spans, constructed 1897–1901)
• Waterloo Bridge (reinforced cast concrete, longest span, opened 1942)^[10]

United States

• Alvord Lake Bridge, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco (reinforced concrete, span, 1889).^[11]
• Walnut Lane Bridge, Philadelphia, PA (unreinforced concrete, span, 1908)
• Rocky River Bridge, Cleveland, Ohio (unreinforced concrete, span, 1910)

Notes and References

1. Web site: Labate . Victor . Roman Engineering . 2024-05-30 . World History Encyclopedia . en.
2. Web site: Expedition Magazine Roman Aqueducts . 2024-06-04 . Expedition Magazine . en.
3. Web site: Homersfield Bridge . 2024-05-30 . Historic Norfolk . en.
4. Web site: Joseph Monier. 2022-09-30. britannica.com.
5. Web site: The world's first reinforced concrete bridge . www.chateau-chazelet.com . 13 February 2023 . en.
6. Web site: The world's first reinforced concrete bridge . 2024-05-30 . www.chateau-chazelet.com . en.
7. Web site: Tian'e Longtan Bridge - HighestBridges.com . 2024-06-04 . www.highestbridges.com.
8. Web site: Rocky River Bridge, Rocky River Ohio . 2024-06-04 . Historic Structures . en-us.
9. Web site: Heritage Locations . 2024-05-30 . www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk.
10. Web site: Waterloo Bridge. 2022-09-30. ar-tour.com.
11. Web site: Alvord Lake Bridge Hensolt SEAONC Legacy Project . 2024-05-30 . en-US.