Steel Construction 02/16

Bridge construction – a strong driving force for developments in composite construction

An editorial by Dr. Günter Seidl:
"The public often falsely assumes that the construction industry is not very innovative, is technologically out-dated. This is mostly caused by indicators such as research intensity or number of patents used for statistics to measure innovation growth and productivity increases. Construction companies mostly use innovations from supplying construction material fabricants and employ dynamic developments from the mechanical engineering industry. [...] For around 100 years now, steel composite bridges have been built all around the world and have now become a standard construction method. In the meantime, the design and construction of steel composite bridges have become feasible in terms of economics, ecology, resilience, adaptability and sustainability. They are a real alternative to prestressed concrete bridges. Clients and users expect a safe and robust structure that requires little maintenance, does not break down completely in the case of partial failure, is easy to strengthen and can also be easily enlarged or demolished [...]"

Read the entire editorial

Table of Contents:

• German technical approval for composite dowel shear connectors
• Design concept for steel parts of composite dowels
• Behaviour of steel dowels in composite dowel shear connections
• Elastic behaviour of steel part of MCL composite dowel shear connection
• Effect of transverse tension on composite dowel capacity and fatigue
• External reinforcement anchorage with rigid clamping
• Behaviour of composite dowels in thin UHPC elements
• Anchorage of composite dowels
• New landmark ETFE façade for football stadium

Recommended Reading:

• Cable-Stayed Bridges
• Ultra-High Performance Concrete UHPC
• Sustainable Steel Buildings: A Practical Guide for Structures and Envelopes