History Arch bridge

the roman alcántara bridge, spain (built 103-106 ad)

possibly oldest existing arch bridge mycenaean arkadiko bridge in greece 1300 bc. stone corbel arch bridge still used local populace. well-preserved hellenistic eleutherna bridge has triangular corbel arch. 4th century bc rhodes footbridge rests on voussoir arch.

although true arches known etruscans , ancient greeks, romans – vault , dome – first realize potential of arches bridge construction. list of roman bridges compiled engineer colin o connor features 330 roman stone bridges traffic, 34 roman timber bridges , 54 roman aqueduct bridges, substantial part still standing , used carry vehicles. more complete survey italian scholar vittorio galliazzo found 931 roman bridges, of stone, in many 26 different countries (including former yugoslavia).

roman arch bridges semicircular, although number segmental arch bridges (such alconétar bridge), bridge has curved arch less semicircle. advantages of segmental arch bridge allowed great amounts of flood water pass under it, prevent bridge being swept away during floods , bridge more lightweight. generally, roman bridges featured wedge-shaped primary arch stones (voussoirs) of same in size , shape. romans built both single spans , lengthy multiple arch aqueducts, such pont du gard , segovia aqueduct. bridges featured time onwards flood openings in piers, e.g. in pons fabricius in rome (62 bc), 1 of world s oldest major bridges still standing.

segovia aqueduct (c. 100 ad)

roman engineers first , until industrial revolution ones construct bridges concrete, called opus caementicium. outside covered brick or ashlar, in alcántara bridge.

the romans introduced segmental arch bridges bridge construction. 330 m-long (1,080 ft) limyra bridge in southwestern turkey features 26 segmental arches average span-to-rise ratio of 5.3:1, giving bridge unusually flat profile unsurpassed more millennium. trajan s bridge on danube featured open-spandrel segmental arches made of wood (standing on 40 m-high (130 ft) concrete piers). longest arch bridge thousand years both in terms of overall , individual span length, while longest extant roman bridge 790 m-long (2,590 ft) long puente romano @ mérida. late roman karamagara bridge in cappadocia may represent earliest surviving bridge featuring pointed arch.

devil s bridge, céret, france (1341)

in medieval europe, bridge builders improved on roman structures using narrower piers, thinner arch barrels , lower span-rise ratios on bridges. gothic pointed arches introduced, reducing lateral thrust, , spans increased eccentric puente del diablo (1282).

the 14th century in particular saw bridge building reaching new heights. span lengthes of 40 m (130 ft), unheard of in history of masonry arch construction, reached in places diverse spain (puente de san martín), italy (castelvecchio bridge) , france (devil s bridge , pont grand) , arch types different semi-circular, pointed , segmental arches. bridge @ trezzo sull adda, destroyed in 15th century, featured span length of 72 m (236 ft), not matched until 1796.

the ponte vecchio, florence, italy (1345)

constructions such acclaimed florentine segmental arch bridge ponte vecchio (1345) combined sound engineering (span-to-rise ratio of on 5.3 1) aesthetical appeal. 3 elegant arches of renaissance ponte santa trinita (1569) constitute oldest elliptic arch bridge worldwide. such low rising structures required massive abutments, @ venetian rialto bridge , fleischbrücke in nuremberg (span-to-rise ratio 6.4:1) founded on thousands of wooden piles, partly rammed obliquely grounds counteract more lateral thrust.

richmond bridge, oldest operational bridge in australia (1825)

in china, oldest existing arch bridge zhaozhou bridge of 605 ad, combined low span-to-rise ratio of 5.2:1, use of spandrel arches (buttressed iron brackets). zhaozhou bridge, length of 167 feet (51 m) , span of 123 feet (37 m), world s first wholly stone open-spandrel segmental arch bridge, allowing greater passage flood waters. bridges perforated spandrels can found worldwide, such in china (zhaozhou bridge, 7th century). greece (bridge of arta, 17th century) , wales (cenarth bridge, 18th century).

in more modern times, stone , brick arches continued built many civil engineers, including thomas telford, isambard kingdom brunel , john rennie. key pioneer jean-rodolphe perronet, used narrower piers, revised calculation methods , exceptionally low span-to-rise ratios. different materials, such cast iron, steel , concrete have been increasingly used in construction of arch bridges.