Norwegian Timber Bridges

Ulrich Hundhausen

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 Outline

• Tradition in building timber bridges

• Typical construction elements
• Wood protection
• Possibilities in design and shaping
• Monitoring of timber bridges
• Examples of recent timber bridges
• Outlook

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 Traditions in use of timber

More than 900 years

old stave churches, 30
of them still standing

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 Viking ships

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 Log houses

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Gjelten Bridge 1906

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Kveberg Bridge 1906

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 Nordic Timber Bridge Program
1994 - 2002

• Timber industry

• Road authorities

• Research institutions

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Nordic Timber Bridge Program

The main objective was to

increase the competitiveness of
timber bridges compared with
other materials like steel and
concrete.

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Nordic Timber Bridge Program

• 33 technical reports

• 3 brochures (presentation of Nordic

timber bridges)

• Background knowledge for new

timber bridges

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New timber bridges today! Why?

• Economical reasons

• Environmental reasons

• Aesthetic reasons

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 Architecture policy of the
Norwegian government

«Good architecture shall express a

common culture and identity»

»The architecture shall be based on

notions of unity and coherence in our
physical surrroundings.»

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Keywords in the
Design of Norwegian
Timber Bridges:

Simplicity
Robustness
Durability
Aesthetics

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Typical construction elements
in modern Norwegian timber
bridges
Glued laminated members
Stress laminated timber decks
Slotted-in steel plates
Steel cross girders

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Three typical construction elements

Stress laminated
Steel cross girders timber deck

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Example of “slotted-in steel plates”

Truss with glulam members jointed

with “slotted-in steel plates”
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 Prefabrication of truss

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 Aiming at 100 years service life

Pressure treatment with Creosote

Copper cladding on exposed surfaces
Liquid bitumen membrane on stress
laminated timber deck
Careful detailing with respect to water traps

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 Protection of exposed
surfaces by copper cladding

Tynset Bridge
(2001)

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 Protected by the bridge deck

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 Protected by a roof

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New possibilities in design and shaping

Da Vinci-Bridge (2001)

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Glulam arch cross-section before grinding

Da Vinci-Bridge (2001)
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 Grinding of glulam arches

Da Vinci-Bridge (2001)
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 Erection of glulam arches

Da Vinci-Bridge (2001)
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 Fungi attack observed in 2007

Da Vinci-Bridge (2001)

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 Monitoring of timber bridges

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 Instrumentation

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 Examples of pedestrian bridges

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 Os Footbridge (1996)

Covered truss bridge, spans 2 x 40 m

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 Sellikdalen Footbridge (2009)

Covered truss bridge

Spans 12+36+36+18 m – Total length 102 m
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 Klemetsrud Footbridge (2005)

Main span 45.0 m – total length 158.1 m

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 Kjærra Footbridge (1996)

Footbridge with main span 92 m

Polonceau truss in the middle part
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Leonardo Pedestrian Bridge (2001)

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 Examples of road bridges

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 Evenstad Bridge (1996)

5 spans of 36 m – overall length 180 m

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 Fønhus Bridge (1998)

Span 35 m
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 Beston Bridge (1999)

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Span 20 m
 Tynset Bridge (2001)

Main span 70 m – overall length 124 m

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 Daleråsen Bridge (2001)

Spans 33 m and 27 m
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 Flisa Bridge (2003)

Main span 70.3 m – overall length 196 m

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 Ner-Hole Bridge (2007)

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 Kjøllsæter Bridge (2005)

Combat vehicle bridge at Rena military camp

Main span 45.0 m – Total length 158.1 m
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 Sundbyvegen Bridge (2011)

Main span 42.0 m – overall length 61.4 m

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 Tretten Bridge (2012)

www.treteknisk.no Length 150 m

Timber bridge across lake Mjøsa

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Total length 1600 m
Timber bridge across lake Mjøsa

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Total length 1600 m
 Thank you for your attention!

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