The Technical University of Vienna has created a new bridge construction system that is much simpler, faster, cheaper and above all that has less environmental impact. By deploying them like umbrellas, they only needed three days of installation and three hours to put it horizontal.
We are innovating in civil engineering this Thursday. We found a whole new way of building bridges. It is faster, simpler and cheaper ... Just deploy them like umbrellas.
It's so impressive in simplicity that it could become the preferred technique for building bridges around the world. You have to imagine two beams completely folded back on themselves along a huge mast (a bit like against the handle of an umbrella). Then, just push on a mechanism to raise them on each side and put them horizontally.
It's silly, but it took almost 15 years of research for engineers at the Technical University of Vienna. The method is now ready. And we're using it right now to build a bridge over a river in Austria.
What does it really change?
First, we save a lot of time. With the usual techniques, it would have taken six months to erect this famous bridge over the river. But with the umbrella method, they only needed three days of installation and three hours to put it horizontal. So there are considerable savings.
Perhaps most importantly, there will be much less environmental impact. Today, we have to damage the ground throughout the structure with scaffolding. With this technique, the impact is limited to the place where the umbrella mechanism is installed.
It is always extremely heavy to build a bridge. So anything that can reduce the environmental footprint is worth taking.