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The Structural Engineer, Volume 13, Issue 6, 1935
SIR,-The paper reported in the April issue on La Roche Guyon Bridge, which was presented at a joint meeting of the Institution of Structural Engineers and the British Section of the Societe des Inghieurs Clivils de France, appears to be in the nature of further propaganda on the use of long span bridges in ferroconcrete. At a similar joint meeting some time ago, this subject was dealt with in a more general way. At both meetings the authors of the papers were advocating the use of reinforced concrete in preference to steel for long span bridges. Statements have been made that reinforced concrete is more economical than steel for spans of well over 1,000 ft. It is difficult to believe that such extravagant claims would bear impartial investigation. They are apparently arrived at by using very high stresses in the concrete-in fact far greater than have ever been dreamed of in this country. It would therefore seem that the comparison is made by using high stresses in the concrete and normal stresses in the steel. If a concrete structure can be over-stressed with safety, surely it would seem still safer to over-stress a steel one by a proportionate amount, in which case the comparative economic span lengths would be very different from those claimed.
DR. OSCAR FABER, O.B.E., whose name is so well known in the sphere of structural engineering and whom we welcome as our new President, first joined the Institution (then the Concrete Institute) in 1911.
THE opening of the Congress took place on 3rd September in the Throne Room of the Palace of the former Kings of Bavaria. Addresses were given by Dr. Todt, Inspector- General of German Roads; Herr Rudolf Hess, Reichminister (Vice-Chancellor); Herr Siebert, Ministry President (Bavaria); the Lord Mayor of Munich and others. B.C. Hammond