Moving from the lab to the field, a highway off-ramp bridge under construction in Seattle features memory-retaining metal rods and bendable concrete designed to provide the structure with flexibility sufficient to withstand a major seismic event.
Answering a call from the Federal Highway Administration, a group of steel-bridge advocates have introduced a new type of tub girder that requires less fabrication and installation time.
Structural engineer Cary Kopczynski once penned a prediction: “There may come a day in the not-too-distant future when concrete building structures will commonly be reinforced with a combination of steel fibers and steel reinforcing bar.
Good performance of the cross-laminated timber panels, made by the first certified CLT supplier in the U.S., is expected to have a positive impact on domestic production.