History and Esthetics in Concrete Arch Bridges

The paper describes some problems in the history of reinforced concrete arch bridges by focusing on the three types of analyses, central to the understanding of any structural form, and consisting of the scientific to get at structural behavior, the economical to get at the construction cost, and the esthetic to get at ideas of appropriate visual form. The scientific analyses included questions of hinges, and of the participation of decks in arch bending. The economical questions centered on the extent to which designers understood construction practice; many early designers were also involved directly with construction. Finally the questions of appearance were debated frequently in terms both of cooperation with architects and of the propriety of applied decoration versus pure structural form.