Textile concrete bridge

Albstadt-Ebingen
Textile concrete bridge

bridge construction, structural engineering  Services

knippershelbig  Architect

Development of the world's first carbon-reinforced concrete bridge without any steel

Project

The first completely steel-free textile-reinforced concrete bridge was initiated as a development project and realized in Albstadt-Ebingen with a span of 15 meters. The bridge is exclusively reinforced with extremely high-performance carbon fibers. The lightweight construction, designed with minimal material usage, eliminates maintenance-intensive details, aiming to reduce maintenance costs and extend the bridge’s lifespan. The design firm knippershelbig was responsible for designing the pedestrian bridge, performing the structural calculations, and overseeing the individual approval process.

Realization of a 15-meter-long trough bridge made of thin-walled textile-reinforced concrete with carbon fiber reinforcements

Bridge Construction
The superstructure of the bridge is made of high-strength concrete with a wall thickness of 70 mm in the standard section. The trough-shaped single-span beam is designed with one fixed and one movable longitudinal bearing. Its height aligns with the bending moment curve of the beam. The railings are directly and flush-mounted onto the walls using embedded sleeves. No surface coating was required since the reinforcement is non-corroding. This eliminates the need for waterproofing, maintenance, and potential replacement of these components. The bridge was manufactured as a prefabricated element and weighs only 14 tons.

Structural analysis, testing process and individual case approval

Structual Analysis
The construction of the bridge required innovative structural calculations, as planar carbon reinforcements are not yet standardized in Germany. A reinforced concrete analogy was used and validated through testing at the Institute of Structural Concrete (IMB) at RWTH Aachen University. In addition to small-scale tests, a full-scale load test was conducted, where a prototype failed at 62 tons – close to the calculated 60 tons. The results confirmed the load-bearing capacity and accuracy of the modeling. The case-by-case approval (ZiE) ensured regulatory approval and paved the way for general certification.

Project data

Client Stadt Albstadt

Architect knippershelbig

Finalization 2015

Services bridge construction, structural engineering

Awards Innovationspreis 2016 der Zulieferindustrie Betonbauteile