A Study on the Technical Transfer of the Hennebique Co. Analyzing the Design Process of the Risorgimento Bridge

Abstract

The Hennebique Company, funded in 1892 by Francois Hennebique in France, expanded its organization very quickly and diffused a reinforced concrete technology widely the world. It is often explained that the reason why the company could grow up so rapidly is due to the ‘Hennebique Systemè’, one of the idea to reinforce a structure of concrete. But it does not seem to be enough to clarify the reason of the rapid growth. This paper analyzes the process of the Risorgimento bridge construction from the viewpoint of technology transfer. For that, a series of letters mainly exchanged between the company and one of the agents in Turin (Italy) discussing about the construction problems is analyzed. That will illustrate a capability of the organization of the Hennebique Company in the field of the technology transfer and technology.