A short history of frame bridges in Germany – from steel frame bridges to integral abutment bridges
Steel frame bridges have been used in Germany since the beginning of the last century. While the first steel frames were still riveted, at the beginning of the 1940s spans of up to 50 m could already be achieved with welded, full‐walled double‐jointed frame bridges. Due to their slenderness, they were used, among other things, when increased live loads required a replacement. While the support conditions of the originally erected two hinged frames were still clearly defined, the construction of bridges with integral abutments required the development of new approaches to take account of soil‐structure interaction. Today, frame bridges have become an economical alternative due to their large feasible span width, which makes the central pier superfluous for motorway overpasses, and their low life cycle costs. The short history of frame bridges presented here does not claim to be complete, but is intended to illustrate the development over the last 100 years using selected examples.