Hasta La Ideas

In 1996, Dutch engineer Jan Peeters of FibreCore had a problem: They
were designing a footbridge made of composite materials, “But the mould itself was more expensive than the bridge would have been in steel!”

The obvious solution is to get your money’s worth out of the mold by using it over and over again–in other words, mass production. Thirteen long years later, FibreCore has managed to do that, using a fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) for their new Delft Design Bridge (rendered above):

The Delft Bridge, a joint venture between Royal Haskoning and FiberCore Europe, makes use of the fact that composite bridges are ideally suited to serial production. The length and width of the bridge deck can be varied to fit each location thanks to the inclusion of a prismatic mid-section in the moulds. Where aesthetics are important, the colour schemes are also customisable, giving a harmonised finish that will blend into different settings.

Jan Peeters explained the bridge material has a stiffness much greater than steel, which means the units are extremely lightweight, can be swiftly manufactured and are very easy to install. No excavations are needed because the bridge doesn’t require much in the way of foundations, so installation causes little disruption of the surroundings. This also means that bridges can be easily relocated.

via maritime journal

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