And finally… World’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge opens to cyclists
Dutch cyclists can now pedal over the world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge.
The overpass opened last week, as part of a new road around the village of Gemert in the Netherlands.
It took its creators at Eindhoven University three months and 800 layers to complete the 26-foot-long bridge, but now it’s open and ready to support hundreds of cyclists a day.
The researchers had to develop a new 3D printing technique that uses steel reinforcement cables to create pre-stressed concrete. Once they were done laying out all its layers, they tested the bridge by placing a five-ton weight on top of it.
Their efforts paid off: while they’ll surely improve the method even more, they believe they’re now capable of using the technique to build even bigger structures.
The bridge was commissioned by the province of North-Brabant and led by BAM Infra.
The first ever 3D-printed bridge in the world was unveiled in a park in Madrid earlier this year.