Knowledge transfer in reinforced concrete bridges during the 1930s-Dedicated to the long-serving editor of this journal, Dr.-Ing. Klaus Stiglat, on the occasion of his 90th birthday

Beginning in the 1920s, reinforced concrete started to find its own design language for large bridges as well. This is seen in the building of long-span arch bridges, which reached its peak in the invention phase of reinforced concrete construction (1925-1950) and is characterized by the following features: Firstly: Resolving the rectangular cross-section common in conventional masonry and concrete bridges, which led to a structural and constructional optimisation of the cross-section and hence a considerable increase in the compressive stresses. Secondly: Using better cements and separating creep and shrinkage resulted in a material optimisation that matched the cross-section optimisation in reinforced concrete arch bridges. Thirdly: Optimisation of cross-sections and materials in turn led to refinements in the structural analysis of long-span reinforced concrete arch bridges which in essence consisted of determining the equilibrium on the deformed arch system. These features are demonstrated in examples of how journals contributed to knowledge transfer. The work is based on a thematic study of the main essays and short articles in three journals with a big impact in German-speaking countries: Der Bauingenieur, Beton und Eisen and Die Bautechnik. The international significance of these specific themes was assessed by reviewing publications by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).

Automated summary

Starting from the 1920s, reinforced concrete began to develop its own design language for large bridges, especially in the construction of long-span arch bridges. By optimizing the cross-section and materials, and improving the structural analysis methods, significant advancements and innovations were achieved in reinforced concrete arch bridges.