Concern over "greener" or more "environmentally-friendly" choices has never been greater, especially in bridge construction. Sustainability revolves around three pillars–social, environmental, and economic. Essentially, a bridge build should consider the environment, but also improve the economy and social situation of the area the bridge is built in:
Will the bridge serve future generations? Are the raw materials selected environmentally friendly? Will the outcome of the project be equal or higher in value than the cost it took to make it?
The potential impact on the environment is an important consideration when selecting raw materials for a bridge, according to the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance. Bridge owners are often left to decide between steel or concrete with inadequate information to evaluate the sustainability of the materials.
Evaluating bridge sustainability
To solve this problem, the University of Wyoming conducted a study and developed a methodology to evaluate the life cycle sustainability of two functionally-equivalent, nearly-identical, two-lane steel and concrete rural bridges. The two bridges were evaluated based on four criterias:
Embodied carbon emissions of materials and emissions from equipment
Embodied energy of materials, and energy consumption from equipment
Waste management and recyclability
Life cycle cost
Let's look at the results they reported…
Steel vs. concrete: Which material is more sustainable?
In short, steel is a more sustainable raw material choice for bridge construction. The results proved that over the life cycles of the two bridges, the concrete bridge…
Emitted 26.3% more embodied carbon
Consumed 8.7% more energy
Recycled 17.8% less material (at the end of its service life when compared to the steel bridge)
Cost 23% more than the steel bridge
The sustainability of steel bridges
This report further proves that steel is a sustainable material choice for bridge construction. Not only is steel the most-recycled material in the word, but steel bridges also cause minimal disruption to the construction site, reduce construction time and provide extremely long service lives. Plus, because steel bridges can be strengthened and adapted to increase loadings or widen roadways, they will continue to serve future generations. It's one of the many reasons bridge owners are looking to steel to repair our nation's infrastructure.
Choose weathering steel for bridge construction
Weathering steels, often referred to as Cor-ten®, are a family of ASTM specifications and several trademarked specifications exhibiting similar corrosion-resistant properties. Ultimately, the high-strength, low-maintenance (no initial painting nor future maintenance painting is required!), and cost-effective benefits that weathering steel offers make it a sustainable solution for bridge construction.
ASTM A847 hollow structural sections are commonly recommended for bridge construction. Weathering steel Hollow Structural Sections (HSS) add strength and beauty to any steel structure. Plus, with weathering steel hollow structural sections, you need less steel to do the same job.
Company profile
Founded in 2008, Gnee (Tianjin) Supply Chain Group Co., Ltd. specializes in the global trade and processing of Corten steel products.
• We handle all kinds of Corten engineering projects, such as bridges, gardens, hotels, and facade systems.
• Compliant with ASTM, EN, and other international standards; third-party inspection supported.
• Exported to over 200 countries and regions worldwide.
• 8 subsidiaries across China and overseas, ensuring global service coverage.
Application Fields: Architecture, landscaping, gardening, cladding, and urban infrastructure.
