Timber Bridges with Reciprocal Structure Comparative Analysis of Traditional Chinese Bridge and Leonardo's Bridge

In recent decades, reciprocal structures have found a new purpose, linked to the execution of temporary and recyclable projects in relation to the current trends in sustainable architecture. The objective of this work is to analyze the behavior of timber bridges with a reciprocal structure.

Author	Dr. Ing. José Ramón Aira, Dr. Arq. Miguel Carlos Cabo-Fernández, Dr. Arq. Federico Luis del Blanco-García, Arq. Laura Gonzalo-Calderón
University	Higher Technical School of Architecture, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain

Timber Bridge with Reciprocal Structure

A numerical model was made and the structural behavior of a traditional Chinese bridge and Leonardo’s removable bridge were compared. The model was verified by measuring the deformation of a real bridge built in a workshop. In addition to the mechanical behavior, the load transmission mechanism, the influence of friction, lateral stability, and robustness were studied. The Chinese bridge works mainly in compression, getting closer to the behavior of a funicular arch, and transmitting a horizontal load on the supports approximately three times greater than the Leonardo bridge, which works fundamentally on bending and is subjected to stresses and deformations closer to its ultimate limits.

The work on the real model was carried out at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of Madrid, Polytechnic University of Madrid, and at the Experimental Carpentry Workshop. The authors would like to express their gratitude to the students who participated in the construction, as well as to Dlubal Software for providing the software for this research.

Links

Research Paper on Timber Bridges with Reciprocal Structure

Downloads

Research Paper in PDF | Timber Bridges with Reciprocal Structure

1.62 MB

;