Design ideas for solid timber bridges

ABSTRACT

Gluing technology within the area of wood constructions has evolved considerably in recent years. A great indicator are wooden bridges where glue-laminated timber is becoming a common choice for the superstructure. The basis for more innovative bridge structures is the so-called block lamination, which was established at the end of the twentieth century. This technique allows designers to work with very large timber cross-sections that may be curved in several axes. With the integration of timber and concrete or other materials into one structural system, numerous new design concepts are being developed which leads to a revival of timber as a structural material in bridge building.

KEYWORDS:

• Timber bridges
• glulam structures
• block lamination
• timber–concrete composite
• timber–granite hybrid
• monitoring

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.