Key innovations in the construction of Tian’e Longtan Bridge

Abstract

With a main span of 600 m, the Tian’e Longtan Bridge is a deck-type steel-reinforced concrete (SRC) arch bridge and currently holds the record as the world’s longest-span arch bridge.To tackle the core challenges of such a super-long-span concrete arch bridge, such as large deadweight, high construction risks, and the need to control time-dependent transient stresses throughout the construction process, key innovations were developed. These include reducing the volume of encasing concrete, properly calculating the bearing capacity of arch rib cross-sections, appropriately selecting skeleton stiffness, optimizing the final operational stress of the arch rib and controlling time-dependent transient stresses during construction, and selecting concrete materials with adequate crack resistance.The bridge has since demonstrated excellent performance, characterized by high structural stiffness, outstanding durability, and low full-life-cycle cost. Compared with cable-stayed bridges of the same span, it also offers remarkable economic and environmental advantages. The successful completion of this bridge marks a milestone in the development of concrete arch bridges, advancing their spanning capacity to the 600 m level and providing valuable reference for the design and construction of future super-long-span arch bridges.

Keywords

Concrete arch bridge / Super-long-span / Key innovations / Stiff skeleton / Encasing concrete / Time-dependent transient stresses

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Funding

Science and Technology Major Project of Guangxi(No. AB22036007)

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

The Author(s)