A wood-concrete composite bridge consists of massive wood main girders which are flexibly connected to ferroconcrete roadway slabs. By means of special composite elements, an interaction between the wood girders and concrete slabs in the load distribution is enabled, which gives these hybrid carrier structures a higher load capacity, and improved serviceability qualities, in comparison to conventional wood bridges. The concept is also equally viable with regard to planning and execution feasibility, and to economic efficiency.
The new construction technology developed by the Engineering Cooperative Setzpfandt GmbH & Co. KG (Ingenieurgemeinschaft Setzpfandt GmbH & Co. KG) of Weimar, Germany in cooperation with the University of Weimar has already proven its effectiveness in a number of construction projects, especially in the case of the new dowelling/compounding system and the support construction aspects. Comprehensive measurement series have confirmed the construction quality. The project results make it clear that the concept of function separation, with wood in the tensile zone and ferroconcrete as an overlying pressure shell, offers substantial efficiency potential in lightweight construction, and thus for energy and resource factors as well.
Dimensions can be significantly reduced in comparison to those necessary for wood construction and standard concrete construction. For the Autobahn-Grünbrücke Bridge in Heinzenberg alone, the energy savings in comparison to traditional construction methods amounted to around 1.35 GWh, corresponding to a CO2 savings equivalent of over 1,400 t CO2.
