Durability of textile-reinforced bridges – an interim assessment

Figure: Solidian

The picture shows the bridge from above shortly after completion …

Figure: Solidian

… and seen from below

Figure: Solidian

Almost ten years after construction, some lichens are growing on the underside of the bridge, but this is quite normal and does not impair proper functioning of the structure

Figure: Solidian

The glass fiber-reinforced concrete bridge has not lost any of its elegance, esthetic appeal and functionality in the ten years since construction

Figure: Solidian

Textile-reinforced concrete enabled the pedestrian bridge to be given an exceptionally slender design. It has performed its function superbly for ten years and will continue to do so in the future.

Figure: Solidian

Cross-section of the textile-reinforced concrete superstructure

Figure: Solidian

Nico Köllnick recently inspected the textile-reinforced concrete bridge in Albstadt-Lautlingen on behalf of the municipal authorities

New construction methods are often viewed with a very critical eye. One of the numerous questions, which must also be raised with regard to glass fiber-reinforced and carbon-reinforced bridges, is: “How durable is the system?” One of the first bridges was built in Albstadt in 2010, almost ten years ago – a good time for an interim assessment.

In Albstadt-Lautlingen in the Swabian Jura, a pedestrian bridge made of reinforced concrete was past its prime. It displayed visual defects – such as rust stains – and posed a hazard to road traffic. Pieces of concrete had fallen on a federal road running under the bridge, for example, impairing traffic safety. As a consequence, the bridge had to be demolished and replaced by a new one. Since the textile industry has a long tradition in this area of Germany, the municipality of Albstadt was very open-minded on the subject of textile-reinforced concrete.

After a feasibility study showed that it...