Ancient Bridges Research Articles

Multi-scale structural deterioration analysis of archaeological wood from the Shahe Ancient Bridge site in Xi’an, Shaanxi, China

ABSTRACT Due to the unstable variations in moisture content, the wood piles near the ground surface at Shahe Ancient Bridge site have undergone more severe degradation. In this study, two representative wood piles from the site were selected as samples to analyze their deterioration from a multi-scale perspective. The findings suggested that the primary microorganisms of the wood piles contained not only white rot and brown rot fungi commonly found in dry archaeological wood, but also soft rot fungi and erosive bacteria commonly found in waterlogged archaeological wood. The hemicellulose and non-crystalline cellulose were almost completely degraded, and even the cellulose in the crystalline zone underwent some degradation. The microfibrils were fragmented and disoriented. The β-O-4 and β-β bonds in lignin were partially broken, resulting in a decrease in the molecular weight of the lignin. Compared to G-type lignin, S-type lignin demonstrated a higher susceptibility to degradation, potentially explaining why Phoebe sp. wood underwent more extensive degradation than Abies sp. wood. Archaeological wood was not rich in mesopores compared to the reference wood. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the deterioration state of the Shahe Ancient Bridge site and provide a fundamental understanding for its subsequent protection.

Analysis of microbial diversity and its degradation function in wooden piles at Shahe ancient bridge site in Xi’an and protection measures

Microorganisms possess the capability to impact virtually any form of cultural heritage, leading to contamination, degradation, and even combined degradation, where diverse microorganism communities facilitate the decay of wooden materials. This study aims to analyze the microbial diversity of the wooden structure bridge at the Shahe Ancient bridge site in Xi'an. The objective is to investigate the correlation between microbial species and the state of wood degradation, as well as explore the relationship between wood microbial species and the potential influence of the wood preservation environment on its long-term preservation. Simultaneously, the conventional laboratory separation technique was employed to isolate the microorganisms that were contaminated by experimental ancient wood. This was done to assess the inhibitory effect of two fungicides on the dominant microorganisms found in ancient wood, identify the most effective inhibitor, and subsequently establish an experimental foundation for safeguarding ancient bridge wood structures. The primary objective of this research was to establish microbial control criteria for the enduring conservation of historical sites, while also equipping conservators with scientifically-guided data to inform future research and restoration endeavors.Graphical

Physicochemical structure and micromechanical properties of archaeological wood under alternating dry and wet conditions

ABSTRACT The relationship between physicochemical structure and micromechanical properties of archaeological wood is not understand. For this purpose, the study took the archaeological wood from the Shahe Ancient Bridge site as an example. The physical properties, microstructure, chemical composition, and micromechanics of archaeological wood were evaluated using non-destructive and micro-destructive techniques. The results indicated that the deterioration of Phoebe sp. wood was more severe than that of Abies sp. wood. However, the basic density of Phoebe sp. wood was higher than that of the control sample due to the collapse of cell walls. The cell walls exhibited a variety of destructional forms, such as cavities and collapses, caused by decay fungi and erosion bacteria. The cell cavities and cell walls deposited inorganic substances. Furthermore, hemicellulose and amorphous cellulose were preferentially degraded before crystalline cellulose was degraded, and S-type lignin was more prone to degradation compared to G-type lignin. Due to the changes of cell wall structure, the hardness of the cell walls increased while the elastic modulus of the cell wall decreased significantly. This study may provide a reference for the study of the relationship between cell wall structure and micromechanics of archaeological wood.

Study on Anti-Weathering Protection of Excavated Ancient Stone Arch Bridge with Nano-Composites

After archaeological excavation, the underground ancient bridge has changed from a relatively stable underground environment to a modern environment with a large temperature difference between day and night, long sunshine, changeable climate, rain erosion and serious air pollution. In addition to the need to control the external environment, it is necessary to actively carry out research on anti-weathering materials for stone cultural relics. In this study, five common weathering materials were selected, and three of them were hybridized with nano-silica to obtain nano-composites. Through a series of property tests and anti-weathering ability tests, the comprehensive anti-weathering effect of brick samples coated with anti-weathering protective materials was evaluated. The results showed that the composite of nano-silica-methyltrimethoxysilane hydrolysate showed the best comprehensive anti-weathering ability, which provides a certain reference value for the protection of similar masonry cultural relics.

One pier with two stones: A case study on different stones used in the foundation of a Roman bridge

Perpira is a registered ancient bridge, probably constructed during the Late Roman/Early Byzantine, to span the banks of the Batman Stream. The foundations and the piers are the surviving remains of this bridge. Considering the current state, it is known that the bridge has not been repaired since it was discovered. Therefore, the remaining parts of the structure, especially the cut stone blocks, are original and contain precious information about the construction techniques and material selection of the period in which it was constructed. During the site investigations, it has been found that the stones used in the downstream and upstream sections may be different. In order to examine this unique application, samples were collected from the piers' downstream and upstream sections. The samples were then used to evaluate their petrographic, geochemical and engineering properties. At the macro scale, the questioned samples' petrophysical characteristics seem similar. However, the variances in their physicomechanical, petrographic, and mineralogical features indicate that they have distinctly different characteristics. The laboratory results demonstrate that the stone used in the upstream section is dolomite and has a strength of 25.21 MPa and a porosity of 25.38 percent, while the one used in the upstream section has a strength of 59.93 MPa and a porosity of 5.80 percent. According to the experiment results, it can be stated that Romans constructed this structure using highly competent engineering knowledge and material optimization. The findings also highlight how even a single piece of artefacts may provide new insights for understanding ancient material application practices.

Development and Features of Ancient and Modern Bridges in China

China has a long history and rich culture, and built and developed bridges very early compared with other countries in the world. With the rise and fall of China, Chinese bridges have also shown a certain rise and fall. By analyzing and studying the technology and development of Chinese bridges from ancient times to the present, and with the comparative analysis of some world bridges, this paper obtains some brilliant design concepts and valuable technologies to find out the future development path of Chinese bridge engineers. Most ancient bridges in China are divided into wooden and stone bridges according to materials, with various structures. Many designs and skills, such as the design and selection of arches through catenary, can still be used today. Modern bridges are divided into the beam, arch, suspension, and cable-stayed, according to mechanical and structural characteristics. Beam and arch bridges are suitable for small and medium-sized bridges, cable-stayed bridges for medium-sized bridges, and suspension bridges for large ones.

Ancient Mesopotamian Stone Bridge: Numerical Modeling and Structural Assessment

This study aimed to investigate the stress-strain and strain energy density (SED) states of Dalal stone arch bridge in Mesopotamia. Structural modeling of ancient bridge made of natural stone has been proven reliable, and accurate results have been obtained using 3D finite elements. Based on the more applicable theories of failure, a general methodology is presented for evaluating the ringstone of the largest ellipse-shaped arch of the Dalal Bridge. The elliptical arch was built in the COMSOL Multiphysics complex using 70 3D elements to represent the number of stones used along the length of the arch in the Dalal Bridge. Therefore, to create an accurate model, the coordinates of the four nodes of each stone were entered. Then, all domains were extruded for 0.8 m in the y-axis direction, i.e., 0.8 m of the bridge width was selected for investigation. That is, tapered fields were used to represent the stones of the arch ring. Using Rankine’s, St. Venant’s, and Haigh’s theories, the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of all components of the stresses and SED states are investigated. The maximum positive values of the principal stresses, σ1, σ2, and σ3, in the 3D model reach 1.4, 0.51, and 0.09 MPa, respectively, and their maximum negative values were 13, 6.8, and 3.4 MPa, respectively. The equivalent principal stresses determined via a 2D investigation did not exceed these values. Evaluating the ringstone against the maximum principal strain theory (i.e., St. Venant’s theory) reveals a safety factor of four in the existing state. Also, application of Haigh’s theory confirms the results of the previously applied approaches. Even though the safety of the arch, according to the total strain energy theory (i.e., Haigh’s approach), has been verified, a significant variation in the nonuniformity of the distribution of the SED (0.0011 J/m3–4416 J/m3) confirmed that the geometry of the investigated arch is not optimal for applied loading. The maximum value of the vertical component of the displacement is 3.4 mm, significantly lower than the allowable deflection for such an arch span.

Analysis and appraisal of fascine in Shahe ancient bridge ruins, Xi\u2019an, Shaanxi, China

Flood control initiated Chinese civilization. Chinese civilization has a long history, and Chinese ancestors invented “aquatic engineering technology” for flood control and water management, including the Fascine body, as early as two thousand years ago. The Fascine body is a structure used to protect the bank and prevent breaching of an ancient Chinese flood control project. Excavation of the Shahe ancient bridge ruins in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, China led to discovery of a Fascine body structure. Through 14C dating, fibre, slice observations, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analyses and SEM energy spectrum analyses of the fascine material, microbes in the structure and the surrounding soil were identified, the dominant microbial community was analyzed, and microbial diseases were controlled in a targeted manner. Research on the fascine bank ruins identified the width and length boundaries of the Shahe ancient bridge, determined the exact age of the Shahe ancient bridge, provided important materials for research on ancient bridges, river embankments and other ruins, and provided important clues for the traffic and layout around Chang’an during the Qin and Han Dynasties of Chinese history.

Quantitative safety evaluation of ancient Chinese timber arch lounge bridges

The timber arch lounge bridge is a special type of Chinese architectural heritage that is widely distributed in the southern Zhejiang Province and the northern Fujian Province. The precondition of planning the preventive conservation of built cultural heritage is the reliable evaluation of the structure safety, which enables the planners or decision-makers to comprehensively understand the complex damaged situation of the bridge and figure out a grading system for the bridge safety state. This paper puts forward a universal safety evaluation method for ancient Chinese timber arch lounge bridges. Special stress is given to the weight assignments during the procedure. Moreover, following the proposed evaluation method a case study of Wenxing Bridge is conducted, which could give a better insight into the evaluating process. This study contributes to a step forward, from the qualitative cognition to the quantitative assessment, on the way of evaluating the structure safety condition of ancient Chinese timber arch lounge bridges.

Artificial Intelligence in the Protection and Inheritance of Cultural Landscape Heritage in Traditional Village

To continue to protect and inherit the cultural landscape heritage of traditional villages, starting from the perspective of artificial intelligence (AI), literature review methods are used, and related theories are collected. Then, Wuyuan County in Jiangxi Province in the traditional villages is taken as the research object. By analyzing the tourism income of this place from 2016 to 2020, the overall income of this county is relatively good. In fact, due to the weak protection of traditional villages in Wuyuan County, the lack of supervision awareness, the implementation of the “immigrant and relocation” policy, and the backward thinking of residents, the cultural landscape of traditional villages has collapsed and destroyed. Up to now, there are 113 ancient ancestral temples, 28 ancient mansion houses, 36 ancient private houses, 187 ancient bridges, and only 12 ancient villages. Finally, AI technology is applied to the cultural landscape of traditional villages. Through image restoration technology, traditional villages can be restored to a certain extent. Intelligent positioning and radio frequency (RF) technology can also realize real-time monitoring of traditional villages from the perspective of weather and service life to achieve the purpose of protecting cultural landscape heritage. Therefore, AI technology is applied in the protection and inheritance of traditional village cultural landscape heritage, which has great reference significance for the management of various historical and cultural heritage.

Investigation and analysis of groundwater-derived damage to the Shahe ancient bridge site in Xi\u2019an, China

Earthen cultural ruins and their subsurface environments act as carriers or support for aboveground cultural heritage artefacts, and groundwater has been identified as the most important factor accelerating the destruction of ruins. In this paper, a wooden structure on the site of the Xianyang Shahe ancient bridge is taken as the research object. Through geotechnical surveys and site sample analyses, the relationship between the environment and cause of damage at the site is explored. Fluctuations in groundwater level are found to affect the movement of water and salt, thereby accelerating deterioration and allowing microbes and other soil inhabitants and plants to erode the ruins. Furthermore, strong correlations are revealed between the stratigraphy of the area and both ruin status and sample analysis results. Geotechnical investigation data are used to predict the effects of various damaging factors on long-term preservation and the underlying mechanisms and to propose feasible, long-term countermeasures for preservation studies.

Combined GPR and Electrostatic Prospection in the Roman Colony of Vienna (France)

– Electrical resistivity and dielectric permittivity mapping using an electrostatic survey device. – GPR delineation of probable ancient anchor point of the ancient bridge. – Combination of GPR and electrostatic surveys for urban archaeology.

DO UT DES – Cultic coin deposits at the Drava river near Rosegg/Rožek in Carinthia (AUSTRIA). Analysis of the find inventory in the Museum Archeo Norico, Deutschlandsberg (Styria, Austria)

In 2017, two Roman bridges over the Drava river were discovered in the municipality of Rosegg (Rožek)/Emmersdorf in Carinthia (Austria). Although the existence of a bridge had been known for a long time it could only be identified as definitely Roman after further investigations. In addition, parts of Roman grave monuments and small finds, especially Celtic and Roman coins, have been found at the site within several years. The coin finds are particularly important as witness for the passage and use of the bridges, as they not only provide a chronological framework for the crossing of the Drava river at this point, but they also offer cultural and socio-historical information. According to this, the coins found in the area of the ancient bridges can be interpreted as sacrifices for a safe river crossing. This custom began as early as the late Latene period and was maintained until late Roman times.

Metallic Contamination of the Muscles of Three Fish Species from the Moulouya River (Lower Moulouya, Eastern Morocco)

This study introduces a spatiotemporal evaluation of the metallic contamination with three trace metals (mercury, lead, and cadmium) in the muscles of three fish species (Lepomis macrochirus, Barbus callensis, and Barbus nasus), of which the samples were taken from three stations in the Moulouya River: the confluence of the Moulouya River and the Sebra River (station 1), the neighbourhood of the farms in the region of Aklim downstream from confluence of Lakhmis river (station 2), and the level of ancient bridge of Ras El Ma-Moulouya (station 3), during the period from July 2017 to May 2018. The results have allowed us to highlight rather high contents of lead and mercury in the fish muscles, mainly in station 1, which receives domestic and industrial discharges. The contents of cadmium in all fish species in different stations are very low. Moreover, all concentrations assessed in different fish species do not exceed the maximum limit recommended by European Community (EC) Commission Regulation No. 1881/2006.

Damage detection of underwater foundation of a Chinese ancient stone arch bridge via sonar-based techniques

The underwater bridge foundation is critical for the structural safety of bridges, especially the ancient ones. Generally, there is no accurate design details stored for most ancient bridges and the damage detection process must be Nondestructive Testing (NDT). This paper applied sonar-based techniques to the damage detection of the underwater foundation of a Chinese ancient stone arch bridge. A multi-beam sounder was used to measure the river bottom topography of the bridge bottom. The bottom sediment and submerged obstacles of the bridge with both sides were scanned to investigate the state of the wooden stake exposed and the appearance of strip stone foundation. The scour situation of the underwater foundation in combination with the results of multi-beam sounding was analyzed. The underwater foundation was scanned by the underwater 3D sonar imaging technology. The testing results show that: (1) It is inferred that the bottom of Gongchen bridge was originally filled with wooden piles. Due to river erosion and ship bottom scraping, the upper part of the wooden piles in the middle hole of the bridge are damaged to some extent; (2) Because of the influence of passing ships, the riverbed of the middle hole of the bridge was sunken, and the wooden piles of the middle hole are seriously damaged, which affects the stability of the expanded foundation of the strip stone; (3) The height difference of the riverbed between the middle hole and the two side holes is obvious, and the significant lateral pressure was generated. Thus, it is easy to cause instability of the wooden pile foundation; (4) The striated stone foundations of the east and west bridge piers of the middle hole are damaged due to the impact of passing ships, partial collapse and defect. In order to avoid instability, repair and reinforcement should be carried out as soon as possible; (5) The sonar-based techniques can detect the damage of underwater bridges structures, so as to provide an important reference for the safety analysis of the bridge structure.

Failure characterization of a structural welded component of an ancient bridge

The development of railroads promoted the innumerable railway bridges building in Brazil mainly at the end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. In those period, girders and other bridges components were built with a growth production demand promoting challenges in the control and volume of manufacturing production process taking into account that the metallurgical knowledge was in early stages. Nowadays, innumerable railway bridges are still in service and their proper maintenance is sometimes ignored. Thus, this work determine the type of metallic material and failure mechanism of structural arch and “L” shapes girders components from Desengano Bridge taking into account that some repairs were performed during their life span. The investigation conducted in this work showed that the structural components analyzed were constructed by puddle or wrought iron process, which is characterized by high levels of P and S in their composition. Meanwhile a reinforcement plate welded to the arch girder was added in a corrective maintenance of the bridge, especially because the plate material matches the current structural low carbon steel. The fracture surface revealed that the crack has dendritic inclusions with typical hot solidification crack aspect. Finally, it should be considered that metallic parts of any ancient bridge, especially those ones containing rivets as an essential rule, in first instance cannot be repaired in situ by welding.

Analysis of the Spatial Behaviour of Masonry Bridges Via Hierarchical FEM Modelling: the Devil’s Bridge

The contribution of the fill to the global behavior of masonry vaulted bridges may be primarily significant. Nevertheless, ordinary analyses conducted on masonry bridges usually consider only the main structural vaulted elements. The paper reports some results obtained through a numerical simulation developed on a FEM model of an ancient bridge, the Devil’s bridge on Sele river at Barrizzo, in the Campania region. The study is aimed at showing how the fill may be contributing with a significant static action , changing the real carrying capacity of the bridge as regards applied loads. The study allows to highlight the spatial behavior of the single components and of the overall structure as well, in terms of stresses and deformed configurations under the self- weight and the accidental loads.

The Ancient Routes and New Lycian Inscriptions around Fethiye

The first part of this contribution contains the results of field surveys made in recent years exploring the ancient road network around Fethiye, including the routes between Pinara, Telmessos, Kalynda, Kadyanda, Araxa and Tlos. According to these results, there are two options for the road between Pinara and Telmessos, one through Kabaağaç and Gökben, one over Babadağ. In the article, the second option is suggested for the road recorded in Monumentum Patarense (MP). While the road between Tlos and Telmessos was at first expected to have passed through today’s Seydikemer, the field surveys identified a better option with a course through Çaltıözü, Bozyer ve Esenköy, crossing over an ancient bridge, only a footing-base of which has survived, in today’s Allıkavak. The ancient route between Telmessos and Kalynda mostly follows the modern road between Fethiye and Dalaman, and the localizations of İnlice/Daidala and Şerefler/Kalynda are discussed again. The road between Kadyanda and Telmessos probably led through Eldirek, and the road between Kadyanda and Araxa passed over the ancient bridge in Atlıdere. The route from Kadyanda to Tlos also passed over this bridge and reached Tlos following a course past Kıncılar, Girmeler and Güneşli. Similarly, the road between Araxa and Tlos followed the same route to the south of Atlıdere Bridge.In the second part of the contribution two new Lycian inscriptions are published. One was found at Asarcık (ancient Aloanda) located ca. 7,5 km to the north of Pinara, and the other on the road between Kadyanda and Araxa. The inscription from Aloanda reflects a religious and funerary content. The type of monument cannot be identified with certainty, because half of the stone is missing. The discussion of the inscription has contributions concerning the vocabulary and morphology of the Lycian language. The find spot of the inscription might have been a religious location, because there are no funerary remains from the Lycian period in the spot. It is less likely that inscription has a funerary character, as there was no rock-cut tomb or early sarcophagus at the find spot, though there are several later funerary monuments of these types nearby. The second inscription has the usual content of Inscribed Lycian rock-cut tombs, of which there are many examples. The tomb’s owner cannot be identified for certain, due to the natural erosion of the inscription surface, but the name may be conjectured as be Armazapimi. The owner built the tomb for himself, his wife, his household and for bis mother’s descendants. Besides the regulations for burials, the inscription ends with a closure stating that anyone who violated the burial regulations, should be considered criminally liable to punishment by several Lycian institutions and divinities.

The Ancient Chinese Stone Bridge Reinforcement Repair Method and Quality Control

China is known as the “land of bridge”, it architecture of bridge construction technology has a long history. A lot of this bridges, ancient stone bridge architecture has the creations in the history of world bridges that shows the wisdom of hard working craftsmen in ancient China. This research is to find out how damage ancient stone bridge are repair and quality control during the construction period. What’s more the author is ensuring the related repairing and stability measures according to the above situations the measures of reinforcing old bridges. In the actual repair method of the bridge, analyzing the actual damages and provide suitable design, reasonable reinforcement repair method to achieve the best in the aspects of proper control and reinforcement construction of the stone bridge so that we can achieve the quality service. Keywords: Key Stone Bridge, Reinforcement Repair Method, Quality Control. DOI: 10.7176/CER/12-4-03 Publication date: April 30 th 2020

Puente arco sobre el río Butrón en Gatika (Bizkaia)

El castillo medieval de Butrón se sitúa en el municipio de Gatika, en el Territorio Histórico de Bizkaia, dentro de uno de los últimos meandros del río Butron, antes del estuario de Plencia. El antiguo puente de fábrica que conectaba el castillo con la margen opuesta, además de constituir un obstáculo hidráulico significativo que favorecía las inundaciones en el entorno durante las crecidas, presentaba un serio riesgo de colapso. La administración municipal decide entonces sustituir la antigua estructura con un nuevo puente arco de hormigón armado y un solo vano, de 23 m de luz y una relación flecha/luz de 1/6,57. Esta tipología estructural se selecciona por su capacidad de asegurar sección hidráulica, pero también como reminiscencia del puente original. La estructura, que además presenta un perfil atenuado en lomo de asno, es un ejemplo en nuestros días de empleo del arco en el rango de las luces muy cortas.