Development

Ultra-high performance concrete (UHFB) offers enormous potential, both in new construction and in the retrofitting of existing structures. This highly durable building material not only allows for slimmer and more resource-efficient constructions, but also significantly increases service life.

With the development, design planning, assessment and structural testing of the Dürnbach bridge pilot project, we were able to set an important impulse with the Germany-wide first-time application of ultra-high-strength, fiber-reinforced concrete for a railway bridge.

As part of further applications in planning, expert opinions and research projects, we contribute our extensive experience with the material and make a contribution to using this promising material more frequently in construction practice.

As early as 1973, as part of a special proposal with Bögl, we developed a segmental bridge over the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. Specifically for the epoxy resin-glued joints of the prestressed concrete bridge, tests were carried out at the material testing office of the TU Munich at that time. The bridge still impresses today with its flawless structural condition.

Also with Bögl, we developed an innovative system cantilever nose for the incremental launching method. With its filigree, modular structure, this enables a very economical adaptation to the operating conditions of various structures with regard to statically favorable nose length and nose width. The developed cantilever nose was used in many bridge structures planned by us using the incremental launching method. This also applies to the Wiedtal Bridge with the launched record span of 65.44 m. Today, the modular cantilever construction is a general standard, as is the incremental launching bearing with integrated lateral guidance, which we also played a key role in developing.

New construction methods in bridge construction generally require individual approval from the highest building authorities or approval for operational testing in the area of the Federal Railway Authority for their application. The basis for this is, among other things, usually an expert assessment of the technical solution. Here, our test engineers are active as partners in the development and planning process and contribute their technical expertise as experts. The connection with the Chair of Concrete Structures and the Material Testing Office of the TU Munich enables us to offer an integral range of services for scientific support and component testing. But we also advance new construction methods on the planning side. An example is the 576 m long Scherkondetal Bridge, the first railway bridge of this size to be built as a semi-integral structure. Last but not least, we won the German Bridge Construction Award in 2012 for the planning of this structure.