| |
 |
The Humber Bridge
|
THE Humber Bridge (哈勃尔大桥), which was completed in 1981, held the record for the longest span in the world. Its record wasn't broken until 1998 when the Storebelt and the East Bridge, Denmark was completed.
The Humber Bridge is truly a work of art, with a main span length of 4,624 feet (1,387 m). The Humber Bridge still holds the record for the longest single span suspension bridge in the world.
The bridge is a suspension bridge with the north tower sited on the high water line and the south tower founded in shallow water 500 miles (800 km) from the shore.
On the north bank, a hard well-jointed bed of chalk (白垩) comes close to the surface. The chalk has provided good foundations for both the anchorage and tower on this bank.
On the south side, soft alluvium (淤积层) is underlain by beds of boulder clay（泥砾层）, sand and gravel. Below these beds, at a depth of 30 m, there is a deep bed of stiff, heavily fissured clay, on which the tower and anchorage have been founded.
The bridge is a masterpiece of civil engineering and was developed out of a design used initially for the Severn bridge near Bristol, England. Its design lifespan is 120 years.
(Part V)(SD-Agencies)
|
|
|
|
