Abstract

Aluminium has been used as a bridge construction material since 1933. Since over 70 years a tens of various types of bridges have been built and/or rehabilitated with aluminium worldwide. The main reasons for utilisation of aluminium in bridges are such advantages of Al-alloys as: high durability, low weight, huge possibilities of shaping, extrudability, easy production, transport and construction, recycling, and so on. Contemporary progress of material engineering has lead to creation of the new generation aluminium alloys with excellent strength and enhanced durability. It has enabled the wider application of aluminium, also in transport infrastructure. Nowadays, several fields of bridge engineering can be identified in which the aluminium alloys are applicable. There are: aluminium decks for modernisation of existing bridges, superstructures of military bridges, footbridges and new road bridges. This last field of application is the main subject of the paper, in which history, the present time and future perspectives of aluminium road bridges have been presented.