S. H. R. Sham and C. J. Burgoyne
Dept of Civil Engineering, ImperiaI College,
London, UK
The present-day bridge engineer is
confronted with a world of new challenges. In modern highway development,
complicated road alignments dictate the geometry of the bridge structures. This
results in unprecedented complexity in bridge design, analysis, and
construction.
The parallel developments in
construction techniques, material usage and computer technology undoubtedly
help engineers grapple with old problems. On the other hand, great strides in
these fields have also encourages more complex structures to be attempted,
which raise new problems in their turn.
A bridge engineer has to keep
up-to-date which the changes in analytical techniques, the current thinking on
good practice and the evolution of design philosophy. While it may be seem
reasonable that more time should be devoted to the design of complex
structures, the reverse is often true in practice.
With the decline of the road
programme in the UK,
the workload on bridge construction has correspondingly dwindled. While the
overseas market provides some prospects for future work, different national
standards, local conditions and construction practices tend to impose greater
strains in design resources. The problem is further aggravated as the overseas
work is being chased by an increasing number of bridge designers from the UK and
other developed countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment