Design and construction of Tongwamen Bridge, China.

The article presents information about the design and construction of Tongwamen Bridge (TB) in China. Composite concrete-filled steel tubular members are most suitable for structures where they are required to behave mainly under uniaxial compression. They are now being increasingly used in the construction of long-span arch bridges in China. One of the advantages of using this composite material is the ability of the steel to provide permanent integral formwork for the concrete infill. TB is a long-span, narrow bridge with the span-to-deck width ratio of 23.8. Wind power in the TB channel is quite strong and so the lateral stability of the structure was the key consideration in design.