The historical development of the rein-forced concrete bridges in Europe

a study on the establishment of “the first European guide” for rein-forced concrete

Abstract

From the latter half of the 19^th century to the beginning of the20^thin Europe, reinforced concrete, a new construction material was invented and prevailed rapidly in the society, where stone and steel was the dominant materials, through the intensive studies and the application to structures. This paper summarize the development of reinforced concrete bridges in Europe based on the design philosophy such as, Monier, Hennebique and Metal system. The first specification of reinforced concrete in Europe was established in Switzerland by 1903 was also investigated.