Robert Maillart Research Articles

Graphic Statics for Continuous Beams and Frames: A Review of the Fixed-points Method

ABSTRACT Graphic statics not only applies to statically determinate systems but also extends to indeterminate systems. This paper reviews a historical graphical method tailored for continuous beams and frames: the fixed-points method. Despite its current obscurity, the fixed-points method played a crucial role in the repertoire of graphic statics and enjoyed considerable popularity during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Our review outlines its historical evolution, explains its principles and techniques, and illuminates Robert Maillart’s applications of this method in the Simme bridge in Garstatt and the Weissensteinstrasse Overpass in Bern.

RC deck - stiffened arch existing bridges: simulated design and structural analysis

The 20th century is known as the age that gave birth to the largest reinforced concrete structures. Many applications of this new material were realized at that time, both from a theoretical and practical point of view. With reference to bridges, the engineer Robert Maillart achieved a new concept of arched bridges, characterized by very stiff deck beams and slender and wide vaults, i.e., the "Deck-Stiffened Arch". The paper deals with the study of such bridge typology, particularly widespread in Italy around the 50s of the 20th century. While, nowadays, calculation tools allow developing very refined structural modelling, in the past very simple structural schemes were adopted in the design phase in order to simplify the calculation effort. The study starts from a "simulated design" of such a bridge typology adopting a reliable geometry and following the design rules and the simplified structural schemes of the time and, then, by means of a refined three-dimensional model, the performance of a typical "Maillart-Type Arch" bridge is analysed.

Graphical Stability Analysis of Maillart’s Roof at Chiasso

The newly-developed method of graphic stability is applied to Robert Maillart’s iconic roof design at Chiasso. The truss has an unusual form that emerged from Maillart’s graphic statics as the shape dual to the symmetrical equilibrium forces. Although graphic statics can lead to highly efficient structural forms, there can be a tendency for diagonal bracing to be minimised or even eliminated, as at Chiasso. Whilst equilibrium is satisfied, there may be a decrease in stability, and it has not previously been possible to quantify this within the traditional graphical approach. Using Chiasso as an example, this paper demonstrates how the prestress stability of this and similar truss structures may now be assessed within the same graphical setting.

The Conceptual Design of Bridges: Form Finding and Aesthetics

The concept of a design process imbibing motivation from a given context dates back to ancient Greek architecture in 525 BC. The structural forms used were lintels, columns and walls and they were conscious attempts to make structures aesthetically appealing. The Roman Architectural Revolution gave rise to new structural forms like arches, domes and vaults. The invention of these structural forms culminated in sturdy aqueducts and bridges and, as they did to their other structures, the Romans decorated their bridges with embellishments. Form finding and aesthetics have always been an integral part of conceptual design, although there has been no evidence of proceduralising the process of conceptual design consciously. Even to date, conceptual design is not always taught in universities, as evidenced by countless anonymous, frequent utility structures that can be seen everywhere. Engineers like Thomas Telford, Gustave Eiffel, Jhon A. Roebling, Robert Maillart, Eugene Fressinet, Jörg Schlaich and Christian Menn are responsible for the state-of-the-art design and technology of bridges and their cultural value. David Billington called efficiency, economy and elegance common denominators for the conceptualisation of bridge design. In this article, after deliberating upon form finding and aesthetics aspects, the author has attempted to delineate the process of conceptualisation with illustrations.

Conceptual design of structures

AbstractThe conceptual design hither to has been an individualistic approach practiced over a long period of time and not taught in universities. However, the conceptual design approach is very important to produce sound and sustainable structures. Engineers like Robert Maillart, Alexandre Sarrasin, Eugéne Freyssinet, Joerg Schlaich and Christian Menn significantly contributed to the evolution of today's international state‐of‐art technology and the cultural value of modern engineering structures. Billington called efficiency, economy, and elegance as common denominator for conceptualization of bridge design to counter countless anonymous, frequent utility structures based on mere technical and economic criteria. Many iterations of the design process are required at this stage to refine the concept for design and construction to adhere to functional, sustainability, financial and other constraints like right of way, etc. The tools used for analysis for investigations and iterations of the options may not necessarily be refined ones during conceptual design stage. The designer should have developed creative skills having a bent of mind for architecture and an architect having a broad insight in to structural engineering to render the best of the concept designs. While the structural designer must have a profound knowledge of engineering and available technologies, the architect can contribute in developing broad culture in many and important contextual aspects.

The influence of innovation on the aesthetics of bridges

The influence of innovative solutions in bridge engineering on the aesthetic appearance of the created bridge structures is considered. It is noted that Robert Maillart paid great attention to the aesthetic possibilities of reinforced concrete when creating bridges. At the same time, he chose from all the options the most aesthetically appealing, but inexpensive design solutions for bridges. As an example, Salginatobel Bridge is considered in which rational power flows, low construction costs, and rich aesthetic value are embodied in a single structure. In the bridges of R. Maillart, innovation is the link that provides the link between an effective economic solution and an expressive aesthetic look. A group of engineers implementing an effective technology for the structural design of bridges and including Thomas Telford, Gustav Eiffel, Othmar H. Ammann is briefly discussed. It is noted that in recently built bridges, instead of an efficient economy, we find rather extravagance and inefficient use of resources. An example of a bridge structure with such weakness is the Esplanade Riel Pedestrian Bridge pedestrian bridge. Analyzed 5 factors necessary for the successful implementation of innovations that create aesthetic bridges: (1) the possibility of introducing innovations; (2) the presence of designers who are willing and able to introduce innovations; (3) the presence of designers who could create aesthetic bridges; (4) the presence of customers (owners) of bridges who would accept innovations; (5) the presence of customers who would not reject aesthetically expressive designs.

ピエル・ルイジ・ネルヴィの形成期における橋梁の建設とその背景

In this study, an attempt to shed light on Pier Luigi Nervi's design philosophy(included architectural and structural field) is made, which was formed before he left SACC(the company of Attilio Muggia who was his menter), and its formation process by focusing on a class of S. Canevazzi which Nervi took in School of Engineering and Architecture of Bologna and bridge construction he was actually in charge of in SACC. In chapter 2, the collapse of Risorgimento Bridge in Rome which S. Canevazzi illustrated in his class in 1913 was explained in detail. In Nervi's book published in 1955 (“Costruire Correttamente”), he referred to a German theorist who pointed out that the bridge had points where it exceeds the limit of collapse and the limit of safety according to a result of architectural analysis using elastic equation. By considering this criticism, issues of the bridge construction at that time emerge: the difference between using rigid connection like Hennebique's bridge and using pin joint like three hinges of Robert Maillart(1872-1940)'s bridge. Also, it confirmed the possibility that construction of this bridge of Rome and its discussion invited the development of architectural analysis and construction method of statically indeterminate structure and moreover, the new study of plastic capacity of reinforced concrete parts. In chapter 3, owing to observe his design philosophy and its formation process, the construction of Pelota Arena's roof, Cecina and Pescie Bridges are looked into and magazine articles he wrote at that time are analyzed. For Cecina Bridge, he conclusively adopted a design of Truss bridge with parabolic girders instead of an arch bridge with rigid connection. In contrast, he adopted a bridge of Vierendeel type with rigid connection in joint for Pescie Bridge. In his magazine article, he emphasized the advantages of rigid connection which included strengthening the bridge resistance, thinning parts and reducing materials. Also, this article demonstrated his tendency of putting emphasis on substantive side to prove the safety not only by mathematical analysis but also by measuring actual deformation on site, and his interest in plastic deformation. As a conclusion, it is brought into light that Nervi directed to the construction of statically indeterminate structure after learning about Risorgimento Bridge from S. Canevazzi and also experiencing construction of the Pescia bridge of rigid joint with A. Muggia and L. Poggi in SACC. Nervi, however, did not simply agree with the thinking about safety of F. Hennébique and A. Muggia for bridges based on their empiricism. Nervi's thinking was not only based on his experience in construction but also his calculation about safety of a structure in a scientific way, such as an experiment and numerical calculations with formulas. Furthermore he tried to find a new way to check a safety for construction. Lastly a further issue is to discuss about an idea of “costruttore progettista” proposed by Nervi through consideration of his construction works and his documents after his independence from SACC.

On the shear centre in Saint-Venant beam theory

The notion of shear centre in Saint-Venant beam theory was introduced by Robert Maillart who envisaged it to explain the results of experimental tests on beams with C-shaped sections. In literature, the location of the shear centre is provided in terms of flexure functions. The new result is a formula for the shear centre, based on the knowledge of the sole twist warping function of the cross-section.

Review: The Art of Structure

The Art of . The Heinz Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, 24 September 2010–30 January 2011 The Art of Structure brings together for the first time two pre-existing exhibits organized by the Princeton University Art Museum, each accompanied by a book and a website. The first, The Art of Structural Design: A Swiss Legacy , explores the work of four Swiss engineers trained at the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich: bridge designers Robert Maillart, Othmar Ammann, and Christian Menn, and thin-shell designer Heinz Isler. The second, Felix Candela: Engineer, Builder, Structural Artist , explores a range of thin-shell concrete vaults erected in Mexico by the Spanish-born architect-engineer Candela on the centenary of his birth (Figure 1). The combination of the two exhibits, conceived by curator Raymund Ryan, provides a broad, international overview of an artistic form of engineering that begins to challenge existing definitions of both engineering and architecture and expands the boundaries of what should be shown in an art museum. Figure 1 The Art of (photo by Tom Little for Carnegie Museum of Art) The driving force behind both earlier exhibits is Princeton engineering professor David Billington. For over five decades Billington has been on a personal crusade to identify, define, and propagate a new branch of civil and environmental engineering that he has dubbed structural art. Through lectures to his students and a long list of books and other publications over the years he has tried to change the boundaries of his field. …

Robert Maillart’s Innovative Use of Concrete

Robert Maillart’s innovative views concerning the use of concrete come within the scope of the history of structures, structural materials and concrete as a material of structure. It will even lead us far beyond these issues. At the end, the point of view expressed in this article will be the view of a structural designer. When preparing this reflection, I realise that there is no straightforward answer to the question: “What is in fact Maillart’s real innovation considering all the contributions he made to the art of engineering?” Putting forward the different aspects mentioned above as an introduction seems to be a more relevant way to find a contemporary answer taking time and context into account. Consequently the first part of this text is a general presentation of Maillart’s works. Following we will make a detour to make what I, and many others, consider to be the most revolutionary aspects of Maillart’s practice fully comprehensible. So starting from the historical development of reinforced concrete as a structural material, we will move to the contemporary context to figure out how the intrinsic structural complexity of concrete is managed today. We will see that some difficulties emerge from the behaviour of concrete in relation to the classic theories of mechanics. If some Modern theories find an answer to the problem, it will become obvious that Maillart had already found a convincing way of dealing with these difficulties. We will then return to Maillart’s works to answer the question through the status he was to give concrete when it came to structural design and the methods he used to achieve his objectives. I hope this will lead us to consider Maillart’s approach as one of the most visionary ever devised.

Stress and Displacement Estimates for Arches

This paper presents analytical estimates of the behavior exhibited by curved, archlike structures under radially directed and gravitational line loads. The behavior is shown to range from elementary beam bending at one end to a state of pure compression at the other, and its behavior can be tracked by an arch rise parameter that is a function of the arch’s semivertex angle, radius and thickness. The principal results are useful estimates of the dependence of the major displacements and stress resultants on the arch rise parameter. The results also offer some insight into the assumptions underlying Robert Maillart’s arch designs.

The Structural Design of Maillart’s Chiasso Shed (1924): A Graphic Procedure

This paper shows how the geometry of one of Robert Maillart's most intriguing projects, the Chiasso Shed, was created using graphics. Originating in the sixteenth century, graphic vectorial equilibrium has been used for studying a wide variety of structural problems. Among other things, it allows a form to be adjusted so that it only encounters axial loads while guaranteeing equilibrium. Here, we see that the general appearance of the structure was determined with reference to a uniformly distributed load, and then concrete was placed along force trajectories. Maillart allowed for some geometric inaccuracies remaining with regard to the way he designed asymmetric loadings to be supported by stiffening members. In so doing, emphasis is placed on efficient axial forces, similar to our modern strut-and-tie approach, in the design of concrete structures.

Form, Force and Structure: A Brief History

AbstractOver the last century, engineers' and architect‐engineers' approach to the relationship between form, force and mass has changed significantly, both on a conceptual and methodological level. It is a shift only made possible by the collaborative efforts of design, engineering and construction expertise. Professor Remo Pedreschi discusses the work of Robert Maillart, Pier Luigi Nervi, Eduardo Torroja, Felix Candela, Heinz Isler and Eladio Dieste to illustrate the important changes and contributions that have taken place and how they influence the way we think about performance from an engineering point of view today. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Aesthetics and Economy in Pedestrian Bridge Design

Two common pitfalls of pedestrian bridge design are explored: the idea that a structure that is efficient will automatically be elegant versus the notion that a lot of money must be spent to get a beautiful structure. The drive for landmark bridges has led some engineers to disregard the engineering ethic of economy with some recent footbridges. The Töss Footbridge by structural artist Robert Maillart is shown as a model structure, with Maillart's calculations and a description of the bridge's structural behavior presented. Then an extremity on the other side of the spectrum is analyzed: the Turtle Bay Sundial Bridge in Redding, California. The cost escalation and a scientific explanation of the irrationality of the bridge form are presented for this $23.5 million footbridge. In order to explore both pitfalls in the United States an informal national study of all 50 states was performed. Results from the national study (including costs) are described and interpreted. Three unique structures from this study are presented which are reasonably economical and prove that a so-called signature bridge does not require extreme cost.

The art of structural design: a Swiss legacy

This book describes a landmark project that was produced through the collaboration of the Princeton University Art Museum and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The book and website bring together for the first time six Swiss engineers who form the most impressive group of structural artists in the twentieth century: Robert Maillart, Othmar H. Ammann, Heinz Isler, and Christian Menn; and the two teachers who influenced them, Wilhelm Ritter and Pierre Lardy. The book was developed out of Professor David P. Billington’s “Structures and the Urban Environment” course, which examines the technology, art, and social factors that are involved in the planning, design, and construction of large-scale buildings and bridges. This popular class introduces students from all disciplines to these structures, which are essential to the public life of modern industrial urbanized society. The exhibition includes an important pedagogical component as well.

A Poster by Max Bill or the Love of Geometry

Among the posthumous papers2 of Max Bill (1908-1994), the best known of all the Swiss artists3 of the twentieth century, is an inconspicuous gray, loose-leaf folder in a brown envelope for a 62-page illustrated brochure for the Sozialer Wohnungs-und Siedlingsbau [Social Dwelling and Housing Development], published by the Delegierten fur Arbeitsbeschaffung [Delegate of the Work Program] and designed by Max Bill in 1944 in Zurich. On these pages, there are 478 sketches for the poster of the Concrete Art Exhibition4 held from March 18 to April 16, 1944, in the Basle Kunsthalle.5 Eight of these pages are of thin typewriter paper, size DIN A4 and partially marked on both sides; another part is similar to large transparent sheets from a roll. Then there is a row of smaller transparent sheets and labels of which the smallest measure only 34 x 102 mm. Others simply display sheet-filling designs. This bundle of sketches is unprecedented in Bill's legacy. There are far fewer sketches and designs preserved for other projects or commissions, often no more than a single plan. In connection to the total legacy, that means that Bill had not done much more with them. Aside from military service, during which Bill was assigned to camouflage activities, he worked at that time on a book about the Swiss bridge builder Robert Maillart,6 and on another book on settlement planning and simple building procedures that appeared in 1945 under the title of Wiederaufbau [Reconstruction].7 With both books, he desired to be remembered as both an architect and an architectural authority. The Concrete Art Exhibition in Basle showed individual works by foreign artists drawn from Basle collections,8 twenty selected graphic art works,9 thirty photos of works by foreign artists [because the originals were inaccessible due to the War] 10 and ten work sets by arp, bill, bodmer, kandinsky, klee, leuppi, lohse, mondrian, taeuber-arp, vantongerloo. In Halls 1 and la, there were cases with publications of the Allianz-Verlag,2 which Bill himself Translated by John Cullars, Bibliographer for

The revolutionary bridges of Robert Maillart

The invention of the automobile created a need for paved roads and bridges. Since highway bridges carry far lighter loads than railway bridges, new designs and materials were developed, tested and implemented in order to meet the growing need. One of the leaders, innovators, in developing new bridge designs and utilizing new building materials was Robert Maillart, 1872-1940, a Swiss structural engineer. Unconventional in his approach, he preferred to rely on his creative intuition designing and building bridges rather than build from mathematical formulas and design from accepted architectural styles. Maillart's crucial innovation was to integrate a bridge's arch and roadway into a form called the hollow-box arch. The result was that bridge loads would be carried by the three segments of the hollow-box: the deck, arch and walls. His next innovation was to develop the deck-stiffened bridge after an analysis of the effect of live loads when they are added to a dead load. Using reinforced concrete, Maillart was able to build bridges which were aesthetically very pleasing and structurally sound. After World War II, Maillart's engineering practices and design elements began to be fully appreciated and incorporated into many engineering classes. His visions and designs are still inspiring engineers today.

Rehabilitation of the Salginatobel Bridge

The Salginatobel Bridge between Schiers and Schuders is the best known bridge of Robert Maillart, and is widely recognised today as a structural monument of international importance. In 1991, it was declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers. After the bridge was declared an international civil engineering monument the need for long-term conservation became obvious. The maintenance work was planned with this goal in mind, and in cooperation with the conservation authorities, guidelines were laid down.

Review: Robert Maillart. Builder, Designer, and Artist by David Billington

Book Review| June 01 1999 Review: Robert Maillart. Builder, Designer, and Artist by David Billington Robert Maillart. Builder, Designer, and ArtistDavid Billington Tom F. Peters Tom F. Peters Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians (1999) 58 (2): 231–233. https://doi.org/10.2307/991500 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Tom F. Peters; Review: Robert Maillart. Builder, Designer, and Artist by David Billington. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 1 June 1999; 58 (2): 231–233. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/991500 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentJournal of the Society of Architectural Historians Search This content is only available via PDF. Copyright 1999 The Society of Architectural Historians Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Robert Maillart's Curved Concrete Arch Bridges

Starting from a description of his four curved concrete arch bridge projects it is shown how Maillart adapted his deck-stiffened arch concept to allow for a horizontally curved deck. Based on this review possible extensions of Maillart's concepts are discussed. For shortand medium-span curved bridges the advantages of longitudinally fixed frame systems with slender inclined columns and post-tensioned deck beams are pointed out. For long-span curved bridges, arch systems with post-tensioned deck beams and generously spaced columns or cross walls are found to offer similar advantages provided that the end supports are fixed and deck and arch are appropriately connected at midspan. For moderate live to dead load ratios an interesting variant is obtained by using a suspension cable instead of an inclined arch and by attaching the hangers along the inner edge of a suitably prestressed deck beam that is clamped at the abutments.