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Handbook of International Bridge Engineering

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PREFACE:

Much  more  than  a  travel  guide  to  the  world’s  biggest  and  most  beautiful  bridges,  this Handbook  of International Bridge Engineeringtakes us on a world tour of the art of bridge conception and construction.


Professor Wai-Fah Chen and Dr. Lian Duan, the editors of this fine handbook, had the remarkable idea of compiling contributions from 64 top bridge experts, each presenting an in-depth study of his or her native country and the wonderful bridges there. Bridges, as we know, carry a multitude of symbols, their beauty and the spectacular technical achievements employed in their conception awe the greater public, and as shown in this book, they inspire researchers and engineers to make materials more  efficient and to fight natural hazards.


 Each country is the subject of a chapter, all of which clearly present the principal geographical aspects of the country, the fundamental stages of bridge development there, communication means through the ages, the evolution of rules and regulations, various types of road construction and road construction  materials,  railway  transportation  and  pedestrian  passages,  and,  last  but  not  least,  such  modern preoccupations as durability, monitoring, maintenance, professional training, economic considerations, financing, and future challenges.


 The reader of this marvelous handbook will not fail to appreciate the variety of factors that determine any given country’s bridge history, to evaluate the cultural, economic, and industrial impact on the evolution of infrastructures, and to consider the immense progress made in bridge design worldwide. A formidable reference guide, this work will be without a doubt a welcome acquisition to fine research libraries everywhere.


This volume on international bridge engineering provides contributions from authors in 26 countries. It provides a resource covering engineering practice for major bridges in the authors’ countries. For each country there is a chapter that provides a historical summary of design specifications, philosophy, and loads applied to all types of bridge systems for highway, railway, and pedestrian applications.


 Although the primary building materials of steel and concrete are highlighted, other types of materials such as timber, stone, and advanced composites are also dealt with. During  ancient  times,  wood,  bricks,  and  stones  were  used  to  build  bridges. 


 Since  the  industrial revolution,  bridges  have  evolved  primarily  with  the  invention  of  cast  iron,  wrought  iron,  steel,  and reinforced and prestressed concrete. Great Britain from the early nineteenth century, the United States from the late nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century, and Germany, France, Switzerland, Scandinavia, Japan, and Russia in subsequent decades built the most significant bridges. 


During the last  two decades, China has built the largest number of major bridges in the world. They include many of the longest spans of nearly all types of bridges. Time-dependent deterioration of both steel and concrete elements remains a challenge even today as corrosion and fatigue must be considered. Many of our theoretical assumptions for materials, such as being homogeneous, isotropic, and ductile, are often not true at the joints and connections. As a result, we have to rely on large-scale experimentation to develop simple design rules especially for connections.


 Failures of structures or their components have provided knowledge that has contributed to our understanding and ability to provide more durable and safer structures. In the United States, the 1940 Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse from aero-elastic flutter from wind had a significant impact on the science and engineering of large bridge structures and elements. The collapse of the Ohio River Silver Bridge in 1967 as a result of a small stress corrosion crack in a steel eye bar had a lasting influence on inspection and maintenance as well as the quality and toughness of the steel materials used in bridges. Since the extensive use of welded steel components and connections after World War II, fatigue crack growth from truck and train loads has resulted in the need to detect and repair or retrofit many bridge structures and to improve their fatigue resistance. 


A notable case was the Hoan Bridge in Milwaukee, which experienced major fractures in all three girders at a cross section in 2001. All of these examples provide knowledge and enhance our ability to provide better details and connections in bridges that will be built in the future and improve our ability to maintain older structures that remain in service around the world. 


For example, as I write this brief note in July 2011 alone, the Internet revealed the collapse of a major multiple-span arch bridge in China’s Fujian Province that was built in 1999, as well as the collapse of three other bridges, two of which were attributed to overloaded vehicles. These events remind us of the role  that  connection  design,  quality,  materials,  loads,  and  time-dependent  performance  factors  have on bridge durability and service. This handbook will provide readers with valuable information and enhance the performance of future bridges. 


In addition to the chapters for each of the 26  countries, a chapter  is  devoted  to  highway  bridges  of  composite  steel–concrete  girder  designs  in  10  countries, a  chapter features the highest bridges, and a chapter lists the longest bridges and bridge spans in the world. Many photographs and drawings are provided in all the chapters. This volume provides a rich resource for practicing bridge engineers as well as for those interested in unique bridge structures that have been built to provide passage over major rivers and other crossings in the world.


I have known Dr. Wai-Fah Chen since our student days together at Lehigh University in the 1960s, and as a fellow faculty member during his decade at Lehigh. We have had the opportunity to serve together on many professional committees throughout our careers. I am pleased to provide these introductory comments to his latest handbook.


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