Die mehrfeldrige Spannbandbrücke Slinky Springs to Fame in Oberhausen

The multi-span stress ribbon bridge called Slinky Springs to Fame in Oberhausen, Germany.

The city of Essen became European Capital of Culture in 2010. For this reason, the artist Tobias Rehberger was invited to design a sculpture across the Rhein-Herne-Canal, which also should enable people to cross the canal. The structural engineers, who could join the team at an early design stage, had the opportunity to strive within the relation artist - structural engineer for a synthesis: good art and good structure. The result, the bridge sculpture Slinky Springs to Fame, is a lightweight and very colourful stress ribbon bridge crossing the Rhein-Herne-Canal, which is wrapped by a spiral. This paper describes in detail the conceptual and structural design as well as dynamic aspects and the construction of the bridge.