Josef Melan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1854 |
| Died | 1941 (aged 86–87) |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Engineering career | |
| Projects | Dragon Bridge |
Josef Melan (1854–1941) was an Austrian engineer.[1][2][3] He is regarded as one of the most important pioneers of reinforced concrete bridge-building at the end of the 19th century.[4] Josef Melan is credited as the inventor of the Melan System, a method for the construction of reinforced bridges.[4] The Melan System differed from previous reinforced bridges because Melan did not build iron bars into the reinforced concrete bridge structure, but used rigid truss arches made of iron.[4] Melan became famous in 1898 after building a 42.4 m bridge with a very shallow arch in Steyr.[4] At that time, this was the largest reinforced concrete bridge in the world.[4] He also built the Dragon Bridge in Ljubljana.[4]
- ^ David P. Billington (1985). The Tower and the Bridge: The New Art of Structural Engineering. Princeton University Press. pp. 136. ISBN 0-691-02393-X.
- ^ Dragon Bridge
- ^ Melan Arch bridge
- ^ a b c d e f C Abdunur (2001). ARCH'01: Troisième conferénce internationale sur les ponts en arc. Presses des Ponts. p. 124. ISBN 2-85978-347-4.