Two new lectures have just been added to SiCA: Steel in Construction Academy for the design of steel and composite bridges with even more lectures coming soon!

Designing steel and composite bridges

Our two new lectures include 'The design of steel and composite bridges', parts 1 and 2.

Part 1 introduces steel and composite bridges, discusses bridge components and structural systems, and describes the common types of steel bridge - plate girder, box girder, and truss girder bridges.

Part 2 covers footbridges, moving bridges, and service bridges and provides initial guidance in the selection of bridge form and span, including viaducts.

Our ever-expanding list of lectures

Our current list of 60+ steel in construction lectures is just the beginning. We will continue to add more and more lectures, covering topics such as sustainable construction with steel, energy efficiency, and the circular economy to list just a few.

What is SiCA?

SiCA: Steel in Construction Academy is our newest Constructalia feature. SiCA is a self-learning online platform for those in, or joining, the construction industry focussed on the use of steel as the material of choice for construction applications and required performances.

Text:
Constructalia

Images:
Constructalia

Related link(s)

ArcelorMittal Europe – Tubular Products supplied tubes for the 'Senda dil Dragun', the longest treetop path in the world, located in Laax, Switzerland, offering an interactive and unique nature experience for all visitors.

Take a walk 28 metres above the ground

Opened in 2021, the Senda dil Dragun (or Path of The Dragon) is the longest treetop path in the world. It connects the two villages of Laax Murschetg and Laax Dorf in southeast Switzerland.

This 1.56-kilometre-long footbridge offers visitors the opportunity to take a scenic stroll 28 metres above the ground in the Laax forest. Along with viewing platforms, it also includes an impressive 73m-long slide for visitors to make their way back down to the ground.

JÄKL tubes from Karviná

The Senda dil Dragun project was designed by the local company Hofmann & Durisch Architects and implemented by the City of Laax and the Weisse Arena Group. The structure was built using JÄKL round tubes manufactured by ArcelorMittal Europe – Tubular Products in its plant in Karviná, Czech Republic. The tubes were supplied by long-term business partner, Kindlimann AG, a member of the Van Leeuwen Group. Kindlimann AG delivered approximately twenty-three tonnes of seamless thick-walled tubes 139.7x5, S355. The company Ragettli Metallbau AG (Flims Dorf) installed 6000 metres of galvanised gas tubes 33.7x3.2, S195 as supports and as railings for this impressive construction.

In 2021, ArcelorMittal Europe - Tubular Products launched the revival of the JÄKL brand, which has been used for more than a century in Karviná and is undoubtedly an iconic brand in the Czech industry. ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Karviná has long been successfully developing the production and sale of steel sections with a heavy emphasis on the precision and quality of each product.

René Fabik, Karviná plant manager says: “It is a great pleasure for every manufacturer to see that their products are used on such extraordinary construction sites. At the same time, it is clear that Swiss standards and quality requirements are among the most demanding in the world. We perceive this result as an appreciation of our work. It has been proven that the original JÄKL products from Karviná exactly meet these maximum client requirements."

Sustainability at the heart of the project

As for other building materials, in accordance with the ecological concept of the whole building emphasising sustainability, the Senda dil Dragun was built exclusively with wood from local sources. It has been designed to blend in with the surrounding nature and minimise its impact on the environment.

The route was chosen in the most natural way possible to minimise deforestation during construction. The project is fully barrier-free with lifts at both ends of the trail. Four observation platforms with plenty of seating and a unique view of the iconic alpine landscape offer a refreshing natural experience for the whole family.

The Laax region believes that this new and completely unique tourist attraction will attract more visitors to this region from literally all over the world.

Text:
ArcelorMittal Europe Communications
Constructalia

Images:
Kindlimann AG
Shutterstock

Related link(s)

Senda dil Dragun treetop path

After the release of the new Advance Bridge Expert software in 2021, ArcelorMittal has now released a series of three tutorials for this pre-design tool for composite bridges with hot rolled sections. The software was developed by Graitec with support from ArcelorMittal.

Advance Bridge Expert is dedicated to the pre-design of straight, skewed, and/or curved bridges for roads, railways, and pedestrians according to EN Eurocodes. Superstructures can be designed as filler beam, composite, or PreCoBeam construction. For railway bridges, the software allows for the dynamic pre-design of high-speed trains according to EN 1991-2.

A free 15-day trial version of Advance Bridge Expert, limited to the use of economic rolled sections, can be downloaded from our Software page. Within the trial version, you can easily request a full, free-of-charge licence for Advance Bridge Expert.

Click here to explore the Advance Bridge Expert tutorial videos!

Related link(s)

Advance Bridge Expert