Development of Concrete-Filled Tubular Arch Bridges, China

During the 1960s, concrete-filled tube (CFT) began to be studied and used widely in construction of buildings in China. Since the beginning of the 1990s, CFT has been used in the construction of arch bridges. A single tube can be used for a span not larger than 80 m. Two tubes connected to a dumb-bell are employed when the span is larger. The Yajisha Bridge at Guangzhou with a main span of 360 m, opened in June 2000 and was the first in China to use six tubes. In completed arch bridges in China, especially in CFT arch bridges, the half-through ones occupy the first place, the decked ones take the second and through ones are the last.