Hunan University Sunday displayed its research achievement – a
traffic bridge made of bamboo in Leiyang City--at an international
architectural symposium hosted by the province, the Changsha
Evening News reported on October 29.
The 3.5-meter-wide bridge, featuring a span of 10 meters, will
support up to 90 tons. Yet the city prudently established a traffic
weight restriction of 8 tons for the bridge. The bridge will go
into operation on November 20.
An expert crouched under
the bamboo bridge to get a closer look of the bridge's structure.
(photo: Changsha Evening News)
"Using bamboo material can cut construction costs in half,
shorten the construction period and reduce pollution during bridge
building," said Xiao Yan, Dean of Hunan University's Civil
Engineering College.
Engineers in the project synthesized Carbon Fiber Reinforced
Plastics (CFRP) with bamboo to enhance the flexibility of the
material and increase the span of the bridge.
Experts from the University of Southern California, Japan-based
Oita University and Beijing headquartered International Network for
Bamboo and Rattan participated in the symposium.
(China.org.cn by Wu Jin, October 30, 2007)
