Founded in 1929 in Zurich, the IABSE (International Association for Bridge And Structural Engineering) brings together world experts in civil engineering in 100 countries, with 58 national groups working worldwide. It will meet in the Czech Republic for the first time in its entire existence.
“The organization of the IABSE international meeting is a prestigious matter, it is necessary to meet a number of conditions, because it is one of the world's oldest and most respected organizations focused on cooperation in the issue of load-bearing construction structures. We have been striving for the organization for several years,” explains doc. Pavel Ryjáček from the Faculty of Civil Engineering CTU, who is the chairman of the conference organizing committee.
The conference will be attended by world leaders in their field. “We are pleased, for example, by the participation of Prof. Zdeněk P. Bažant, who graduated from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at CTU and currently works at the prestigious McCormick Institute in the USA. Prof. Bažant is recognized as one of the world leaders in the field of mechanics of solid and pliable bodies and environments. However, there will be other renowned capacities besides him,” says Prof. František Wald from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, chairman of the national group IABSE, who is also chairman of the scientific committee.
One of the main topics that the experts will address is the reconstruction of infrastructure and technology for the construction of new load-bearing structures. They will talk, for example, about the reinforcement of bridges, including from alloys with shape memory. “In their contributions, the experts will focus on important newly realized bridges, such as the New Storstrøm Bridge or today the largest Canakkale Bridge in Turkey, as well as on high-strength steels and high-value concrete or on structures from less used materials so far, such as stainless steel and glass,” explains doc. Pavel Ryjáček.
Czech themes will also resonate at the conference. “In connection with the issue of bridges and their condition, we are planning to pay special attention to the topic of their reconstruction and reinforcement. For example, we want to present our experience with alloy technology with shape memory, which is a material exceptional for its return to its original shape and at the same time for its very high strength. We have used this technology as the first in the world for real bridge construction,” adds doc. Pavel Ryjáček from the Faculty of Civil Engineering. Scientists will also adress bridge diagnostics and numerical modelling of the effects of wind, vibration and fatigue on structures, the effects of earthquakes or bridge monitoring systems. Important Czech realizations will also be presented, such as the installation of the Hracholusky bridge using its turn around its own axis and the railway viaduct in Vilémov.
The IABSE conference will be held in Prague on 25 – 27 May. At the same time the conference will be held an exhibition presenting the results of the project DG18P02OVV033 “Methods for Ensuring Sustainability of Steel Bridge Structures of Industrial Cultural Heritage”, supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and adressed by the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Architecture, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Klokner Institute of the Czech Technical University in Prague in 2018–2022.
Detailed information: https://iabse.org/prague2022.