It is a indeed a bit ironic that this news should filter its to us on the same day in which we heard the news that China along with India refused to sign the Bali draft on cutting down Carbon emissions. While that is a totally a different topic altogether, it just goes to show the difference between matters of environment handled by petty bureaucrats and if handled by environmentally aware citizens. This also shows the world the difference between the few at the top and the ones that actually work at a ground level to make the world that they live in a better place.
China has laid down world’s first modern bamboo bridge. Headed up by the School of Civil Engineering of Hunan University, a year of research and trial & error went into beefing up the intensity of the bamboo structures that eventually became the bridge as it was launched officially on the 12th of January. The bridge has already been put under test with its first load being a truck of 8.6 tons. The bridge is billed at being capable of carrying nearly 90 tons of static weight.
When one talks about a bridge made out of bamboo, the durability and strength are the two qualities that come under scrutiny first. This wonderful bridge passes both those tests amazingly well. The bridge is given a life of 20 years and is much cheaper than any concrete bridge around. As far as steel bridges are concerned, it makes the cost of building steel bridges appear monumentally high. The entire project is the brain child of the Hunan University and they are already working on the next big step in building bamboo bridges by making them stronger and more durable. All power to them indeed.
Via: Inventor Spot
